


Bedannibal Drabbles

by TheDancingDoctor



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Dom Bedelia Du Maurier, F/M, Florence Fluff, No Plot/Plotless, Post-Coital Cuddling, no hannigram, not always but sometimes, they are really kinky
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-28
Updated: 2017-09-22
Packaged: 2018-07-18 20:50:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 70
Words: 42,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7330195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDancingDoctor/pseuds/TheDancingDoctor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just some prompts and drabbles that I wrote about Hannibal and Bedelia, that I am far to lazy to post separately. Also, I was far too lazy to come up with a title. Enjoy! Warning, some pieces may border on explicit, some may be violent and in some, characters will die. this is hannibal after all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This first piece is dedicated to sannidings. I know we said we were going to work on these together, but I just wanted to do one for you!  
> This is also borderline explicit. Proceed with caution.

#39: "I just want to be alone right now."

"I just want to be alone right now Hannibal," Bedelia whispered, turning away from him.  
"Bedelia, I just want to know if I did something wrong," he said, touching her shoulder lightly. when she jerked away from him, he sighed. "Well, clearly I did."  
"You know exactly what you did to make me upset Hannibal. Think about it," she snapped, getting up and going into the bathroom before slamming and locking the door.  
Hannibal flinched and dropped his head into his hands. He did know exactly what he had done. 

Their session that day had not started well, nor had it ended well. If one actually thought about it, there was no real reason for Bedelia to have allowed him to stay.  
He had spent over an hour talking about Will Graham, ignoring the pained expression on Bedelia's face. After saying 'hello' and asking how she was doing, he had sat down and began talking about the week he had spent with Will Graham, assisting the FBI in finding killers. She clearly wasn't interested in what he was saying, as she had dropped her usual facade and was clearly disdainful of the entire conversation. 

He stood up and knocked on her bathroom door. "Bedelia, I'm sorry for talking about Will for so long. I really am. Please open the door," he begged, "I want to see you. I want to make everything alright."  
Bedelia unlocked the door and opened it a crack, so that Hannibal could see her tear streaked face. "That's not even half of it Hannibal. Yes, I don't like listening to you constantly gushing about Will Graham, but there's more than just that," she said, her voice cracking.  
Hannibal's heart sunk, he had never heard Bedelia like this. It was most unlike her, crying in a bathroom, letting him see her like this. He had to fix this. "Then tell me what I did wrong Bedelia. Please," he begged again.  
She huffed and opened the door all the way, glaring at him. "You've ignored me since our last session, and you totally forgot that it was my birthday today. For a man who never forgets anything, you certainly forgot something that I thought was important to you. You don't even care, all you care about is your adventures with Will Graham." She slammed the door again and locked it. She turned around and allowed herself to slide down the door to sit on the floor. She began crying again, unable to hold it in.  
Hannibal knocked on the door. "Bedelia, dearest. I'm sorry for not seeing you since last week, and I'm sorry you think that I forgot about your birthday. I didn't, and if you come out of there and listen to me, I can explain it to you."  
Bedelia pulled herself off the floor and went to the mirror, wincing at the sight of her face. She looked terrible. Shaking her head, she walked towards the door and unlocked it. Hannibal opened the door and stalked toward her like a predator. Bedelia moved backwards until she was against the sink. Hannibal's mouth descended upon hers, immediately pushing his tongue into her mouth.  
Bedelia's eyes fluttered shut and she moaned against his mouth. Her arms wound around his neck and she held him to her. Pushing him away, she looked into his eyes.  
"Explain what happened Hannibal," she whispered, running her fingers through his hair.  
"Come with me, and you'll see that I didn't forget about your birthday. I'd never forget something so important," he whispered.  
Bedelia nodded and wiped at her eyes. "Alright, show me what you want to show me."  
Hannibal took her hand and led her from the bathroom, all the way to her front door. "Close your eyes and wait here," he told her, pressing a kiss to her cheek.  
Bedelia smiled and shut her eyes. Hannibal opened the door and slipped outside to his Bentley which was parked in her driveway. He opened up the trunk and pulled out the box he had so delicately wrapped before retrieving the wine from the back seat. Walking back to her house, he smiled, the other gift for her was in the pocket of his coat, still hanging up in her hall.  
Opening the door, he told Bedelia to open her eyes. She obliged and smiled at the box and bag in his hands.  
"Let's go back to the bedroom. You take this," he handed her the bag, "and go grab two glasses for us."  
Bedelia nodded and Hannibal made sure she was out of sight before pulling out the smaller box from his coat pocket and slipping it into his suit jacket pocket. He couldn't be more nervous about that small box. If she turned him down, he had no idea how he would be able to go back to his old life, without her.  
It had only been a little while ago that he had realized that he did love her. He had loved her since he had first laid eyes on her. There had been jealousy, anger, desire, confusion, and then he had realized it. He wanted to protect her and be with her... forever. This was one way that he could do that.  
Bedelia returned and took the bag with the bottles of wine in it from him.  
"There's chocolate for you in there as well darling," he whispered into her ear.  
Bedelia smiled and began walking back up the stairs to her bedroom. She was happy that Hannibal hadn't forgotten her birthday, it proved that he did care about her. She entered her bedroom and went straight to her bed, reclining on it. "Join me Hannibal?"  
"So it's your birthday, and here I am, getting a gift," he replied, reclining on the other side of the bed, placing his hand on her thigh.  
"Well, judging by that box, it looks like I'm getting something as well," she said with a small laugh. "How about I pour us some of this lovely wine?" she asked, holding up the corkscrew.  
"Sounds marvelous my darling." Hannibal reached out and brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear.  
Bedelia purred lightly and shifted towards him, having a change of heart in the wake of his tenderness towards her. "You know, we haven't been together in a week, I've had wine in that period of time. Quite a bit of it. Perhaps the wine can wait for us to have some time together," she suggested, moving the beg containing the bottles to the floor, the corkscrew and glasses to her bedside table. Hannibal smiled and moved the box to the floor as she moved closer to him. Bedelia pushed Hannibal onto his back and climbed on top of him, leaning down to capture his lips in hers.  
Hannibal shifted to take his jacket off, tossing it to the ground before grabbing at Bedelia's blouse, unbuttoning it and pushing it off of her shoulders. He reached around her to unzip her skirt. He flipped her over onto her back to pull it down and off of her. Bedelia's fingers tangled themselves in his necktie, undoing it and throwing it to the floor before getting to work on his shirt.  
Hannibal looked down at his beloved who looked like sheer perfection clad in only her black lacy lingerie that he had bought her for Christmas the previous year. He was brought back to the present by Bedelia's fingers slipping into the waistband of his trousers and into his boxers. He sucked in a breath.  
"Hannibal, you feel really hard already. Looks like this little number did its job," she said, biting her lip as her fingers danced over his tip.  
He smiled and pressed a kiss to her lips before letting her get back to removing his trousers and boxers. Somehow, in his gazing, she had managed to remove his shirt and belt from him. She pushed down his pants and boxers down his legs, urging him to kick them off. He complied before flipping them over again, reaching behind her to unclasp her bra to toss it aside with the rest of their clothing.  
"One more thing," she said, bringing his hand to the waistband of her panties.  
"I saved the best for last," he replied, rolling over again and sliding down her body, bringing her panties down as he went.  
Bedelia's hands locked themselves into his hair as his face delved between her thighs. Bedelia's eyes fluttered shut as Hannibal slipped his tongue inside of her. He was marvelous at everything, including giving her more pleasure than she had ever experienced with any other man. She hadn't been with very many men that weren't Hannibal, but she was certain that no other man could be this good in bed. And he was all hers, all the mind and body fucking that he gave to her. She couldn't focus on anything but the pleasure he was giving her.  
Suddenly, she felt his fingers join his tongue inside her, and she arched off the bed, pushing herself closer to him in pleasure. Hannibal smiled lightly and continued what he was doing.  
Bedelia felt herself shake, unable to carry on much longer. Not with Hannibal's talented tongue swirling inside her and licking her the way it was. Her fingers tightened in his hair as she felt herself release before she fell limp, her grip slacking in Hannibal's hair.  
Hannibal raised his head and joined her at the top of the bed, wrapping his arms around her delicate form. "How was that?" he asked, turning her onto her side so that she was facing away from him. Her body easily curled against his and he held her to him, his erection pressing into her back.  
"It was amazing Hannibal. You could never be anything but. Yet, I think that you require some attention of your now," she replied, turning her head and pressing her lips to his.  
"It's your birthday. How do you want me?" he asked, stroking her hair lightly.  
"Just like this," she whispered, "with your hands on me, feeling me, enjoying me, making me feel loved."  
Hannibal shifted their bodies slightly so that he was able to slide himself into her. The feeling of him inside her made them both groan loudly at the contact. Hannibal thrust into her slowly as his hands slid around her body to touch her in all the ways he knew she liked. His left hand found his way to her breasts and she sighed lightly at the feeling of him touching her. "You are loved so deeply, my beloved."  
Bedelia smiled and shifted backwards, pressing her further into his arms. His hand was busy fondling her breasts as he thrust into her. Bedelia's head fell back onto Hannibal's shoulder, her breathing becoming more and more ragged as Hannibal continued fondling and thrusting. She felt a layer of sweat forming on her body as she pushed back against Hannibal's thrusts, trying to make him speed up.  
Taking her cue, Hannibal's left hand moved to her hip, his right hand beginning to fondle her breast. Holding her hip, he increased the speed of his thrusts, getting closer and closer to his own release. "Bedelia," he moaned, "oh, I love you."  
"I know honey," she replied, reaching a hand behind her to grip his hair. She pulled him closer to kiss him before releasing his hair. "I'm getting very close."  
"I'm already there, just waiting for you."  
"Such a gentleman," she moaned.  
Hannibal kissed her shoulder before dragging his hand away from her breast down towards her centre. Bedelia shivered lightly in anticipation, knowing exactly where his hand was going. The second his fingers made contact with her clitoris, she shuddered, thrusting against Hannibal. "Scream darling," Hannibal whispered, "let it all go."  
Bedelia moaned as Hannibal's fingers worked their magic on her. It felt as though he were playing an instrument, not at all how most men would touch a woman. He was so delicate, and it was beyond arousing. Suddenly, she bit down on her lip before letting out a loud cry of pleasure. Hannibal thrust into her once more before allowing himself to release.  
Bedelia lay there in Hannibal's arms, trying to catch her breath as he stroked her hair, face and sides, letting his hands touch her everywhere. Once they had both recovered, Bedelia turned onto her back. "You are quite simply the most amazing man any woman has ever had," she said, pulling him in for a kiss.  
"You're the most amazing woman any man has ever had," he replied against her lips. "But now, time for some wine and your presents."  
Bedelia nodded and retrieved the wine, corkscrew and glasses from where she had put them aside. She passed the glasses to Hannibal as she removed the cork in the wine, holding it out to Hannibal to smell. She never understood why he did that, but she thought it was a cute habit. She took a glass and passed him the bottle. He poured them each a glass of wine before putting the bottle on the table on his side of the bed. He leaned down to pick up the box that contained her gift, passing it to her. Bedelia raised an eyebrow at him. "Thank you," she whispered, taking a sip of her wine before passing Hannibal the glass. She gently pulled at the wrapping paper. Once the plain box was revealed, she shook her head. "Such a plain box."  
"I assure you my love, the gift inside couldn't be farther from the box."  
Bedelia smiled happily, lifting the lid of the box and gasping lightly at the contents. "You know, I'm always surprised when you purchase lingerie for me. I can't picture you going into that kind of establishment."  
"Very few of them are suitable for you and our shared tastes. I prefer to make this kind of purchase for you online. Someone I know might see me, and presume that these items are for you, and I don't want another man picturing you in my gifts," he said, pressing a kiss to her bare shoulder.  
Bedelia bit her lip. "That's my possessive man," she whispered, pressing a kiss to her lips before holding up the lacy golden coloured bra in front of her. "This is very nice Hannibal."  
"You seem surprised. You know of my tastes Bedelia," he replied.  
"I do," she replied, putting the bra back and touching the panties that were almost nothing more than lace. "And I always approve of your gifts, my dearest."  
Hannibal smiled, placing their wine glasses beside the bottle. "I'm glad you like them. Now, I have something else for you as well. Would you please pass me my suit jacket?"  
Bedelia replaced the lid and moved the box to the floor beside the bed, retrieving his suit jacket as she bent over. Hannibal looked at her as she bent down. He licked his bottom lip subtly, remembering her taste. She passed him his jacket and he thanked her, pulling the small box out of the pocket nervously.  
He took a deep breath. "Bedelia, my love. You know that I love you, that I want nothing more than to protect you and hold you until the end of our days. You are the most important being in my life, so much more than Will could ever be. Seeing you upset makes my heart hurt. I want to be there for you when you need me, when you want me, and I want to be there for you when you don't want or need me there. I want to be by your side always. I want you to be mine outside of our homes. I want us to be a real couple. You're a wonderful therapist, but I can't be without you anymore." He opened the box. "Bedelia Du Maurier, will you marry me? Will you be my partner in crime?"  
Bedelia clapped her hands over her mouth and felt tears come to her eyes. The diamond on the ring was huge, larger than any diamond she'd ever seen on a ring before. She found herself unable to speak, no matter how much she wanted to. "Yes Hannibal, I will. But on the matter of being your partner in crime, I thought I already was," she finally managed to say, a smile forming on her face.  
Hannibal's smile spread across his face. "I suppose you are my love," he replied, slipping the ring onto her finger. "Grazie, cara mia."  
Bedelia looked down at her hand with a smile before touching Hannibal's neck and leaning in for a kiss. They kissed for a moment, their hands roaming on each others bodies slightly. When they broke apart, Hannibal took their wine glasses and passed Bedelia hers. They drank their wine and lightly touched one another. Once their glasses were drained, Hannibal put them back on the table. "Shall we go another round?"  
"I think that would be quite suitable," Bedelia replied, laying down on her side, her back to Hannibal. "Let's wait a few moments though. I just want to be held for now."  
"And less than an hour ago, you were telling me you wanted to be left alone."  
"Perhaps I was wrong, and I just needed the man I love, the man who loves me, to help me through it."  
"I'm sure that was it," he whispered in her ear as he wrapped his arms around her and held her to him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was from a prompt meme on tumblr, and @bedeliainwonderland asked for "Roam" which was: one character touching the other all over. There is kinkiness and some vulgarity, so if you don't want to read that, don't. Hannibal told me to warn you about that to avoid rudeness.

Bedelia looked down at her husband who was tied to their bed with a smile on her face. "Are you enjoying yourself?" she asked, her hand stroking his right arm which was stretched above his head.   
Hannibal shivered lightly, offering a nod to his wife. He was gagged, making it rather difficult to talk. Bedelia smiled. "Well honey, I think that perhaps I can make you enjoy it even more."  
She stood up straight and began unbuttoning her blouse before dropping it to the floor. Hannibal's head was turned towards her, and she could see the look of longing in his eyes. He wanted so badly to touch her, but tonight, she would be doing the touching. She reached behind herself and unzipped her skirt before pushing it down to the floor and stepping out of it. She lifted her right foot and pulled her heel off, dropping it to the floor before doing the same with her left heel. She stalked back to the bed and climbed on top of it, putting herself on top of Hannibal and straddling him. She could feel Hannibal's erection underneath her, as she could feel it twitch when she danced her fingers on the outline it made in his silk boxers.  
"Your boxers feel nice Hannibal, do they feel nice against your stiff cock?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.   
Hannibal nodded and strained lightly against the necktie holding his wrists to their headboard. Bedelia moved off of Hannibal to untie his left ankle before pulling his boxers down his legs and off his left one, leaving them to dangle on his right ankle. She retied his left ankle before moving back on top of him.   
She leaned down and pulled the gag from his mouth to press a light kiss to his lips as she stroked his neck. Hannibal moaned loudly, arching up to her. Bedelia drew back, shushing him and pressing his body back down to the bed. "No no honey. Stay, be a good boy."  
Bedelia replaced the gag and grinned as she began running her hands over her husband's body, occasionally dropping a kiss to his body. She ran her hands along his arms, pressing her lips to his shoulders, danced her fingers along his neck before nipping it lightly. Hannibal arched off the bed again, Bedelia's hands pressing his body back down. Her hands roamed across his chest, biting her lip at the feel of his muscles under her hands. She pinched his nipples and giggled as his eyes shut and his cock twitched. Her hands continued downwards, her fingers combing through the hair in his happy trail before she took his cock in her hands.   
She licked her lips before leaning down and kissing the tip, making Hannibal's hips thrust off the bed, nearly putting his entire cock into her mouth. She pushed his hips down onto the bed before smacking his side gently. "You are a very bad boy. I told you to be good."  
Bedelia continued downwards, her hands gripping his muscular legs as she ran her hands down them. "You have such an amazing body Hannibal." She continued touching him. "Nod if you like what I'm doing."  
Hannibal nodded eagerly and began pulling at his restraints again as Bedelia's hands began moving up his body, this time her left hand gripped his cock roughly before letting it go. Her hands travelled up his body before stopping at his neck. She pulled the gag out of his mouth and pressed her lips to his again. Pulling back, she asked, "how was that for you?"  
"Wonderful my love," he replied, "you couldn't be better."  
"Neither could you. I guess in the end, you are a good boy."  
"Good enough to have you?"  
Bedelia cocked her head to the side. "I suppose so." She pushed her panties down her legs and off before climbing on top of him, leaning down to untie his hands, her lace clad breasts in his face.   
Once Hannibal's hands were free, he wrapped them around her and unclasped her bra, pulling it off her and fondling her breasts. "You touched me, now it's my turn."  
Bedelia laughed softly as their lips met again.  _This night just keeps getting better and better._


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um, no plot. After Hannibal escaped and after the cliff scene. Bedelia still has both legs, she's with Hannibal. Hannibal is a fool, or not a fool. But really, no plot, just fluff I guess. This was from an old prompt meme I had saved in case the right muse came along. Bedannibal is a stellar muse.   
> Hannibal may be foolish, but he will never be a fool.

"If you call me by his name, we're done here," Bedelia whispered.  
Hannibal sighed lightly. "Bedelia, you don't need to worry. Will betrayed me, and he's dead now. He used me, countless times."  
"So you don't care what happens to him anymore?" she asked, reaching up to touch Hannibal's face.  
"I wouldn't even care if he was alive. Yes, I felt some pain when I realized that I couldn't save him, but then I remembered all of his acts of betrayal. I don't need him, I have you. You have never betrayed me Bedelia."  
"Well, it was part doctor/patient confidentiality, part my being thankful for your help, and part wanting to help you."  
"No matter what it was, I want to thank you," he whispered, pressing his lips to hers.  
She moaned against his lips before breaking the kiss. "We help each other, but I still don't like some of the things you do."  
"I don't expect you to. It would be unethical," he replied, brushing her hair behind her ear.  
"Hannibal, I am no longer your psychiatrist, and ethics haven't bothered you since we were in Florence." Bedelia undid his top button and continued her way down, undoing all the buttons of his shirt until it was completely open. She pushed it off his shoulders and he moved onto his knees to remove it fully.   
"I see that you have no ethical concerns about us now either," he said with a groan as she ran her fingernails down his chest to his belt.  
"Like I said, I am no longer your psychiatrist." She undid his belt and freed it from its loops, throwing it to the floor. Hannibal remained on his knees as Bedelia unbuttoned his trousers and pushed them down, eyes on the bulge inside his silk boxers. "And if I was, I would have to wonder about why you are so attracted to your psychiatrist."  
"Maybe because she is so beautiful, and I enjoy beautiful things." He reached down and unbuttoned her blouse, opening it to reveal her black lace bra, which he had purchased for her in Florence. "And perhaps because she is even more beautiful when she is wearing a gift that I purchased for her."  
Bedelia smiled, sitting up to throw her blouse aside. "Are you surprised that I kept your gifts?"  
"Only a bit I assure you. Now, shall we get you out of that confining skirt my dear?" he asked, gently caressing her breasts.  
Bedelia pushed him back and pulled his pants off his legs, dropping them over the side of the bed before turning her back to Hannibal. "Zipper, dear?"  
Hannibal's hands eagerly reached for the zipper, gently pulling it down, revealing more lace. Bedelia pushed it off and dropped it where the rest of their clothes were. "Are you going to take your socks off Hannibal?"  
He nodded and stripped them off before climbing back on top of Bedelia. "Bedelia, I think there's something I never told you while we were in Florence, and while I was at the hospital with Dr Chilton and then Alana, I spent a great deal of time thinking about it."  
"Mm, what's that Hannibal?" she asked, leaning up to press a kiss to his lips before pulling him down. They kissed for a moment before Hannibal drew back.  
"I love you Bedelia, and I never loved Will. I found him interesting, but I did not love him. You're the only one I've ever loved, and I was a fool to chase after Will when you were there all this time."  
Bedelia smiled lightly, touching her lover's face. "I love you too Hannibal. And you were foolish, but you could never be a fool. And I have always found you interesting, both personally and professionally."  
Hannibal smiled and reclaimed Bedelia's lips with his own. She may not have thought him a fool, but he still felt like one. Only a fool would allow himself to keep chasing what could make him happy, when he was already happier than he could be with anyone else.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This came from a random prompt on tumblr. I'm sorry that it's short, but Hannibal is cute and Bedelia told me to post it. Cuddles followed by a prelude to sexytimes.

"It took me a long time to figure out that it wasn't anger I felt. It was jealousy," Hannibal whispered into his wife's ear as he lay behind her with his arm around her middle.   
"Jealous of who Hannibal? Until you, there hadn't been anyone in my life for a long time," she replied, turning her head slightly.   
"Jealous of every man who wanted you that deserved you more than I did. You were right, I'm dangerous," he said, pressing his lips to the corner of her mouth.   
"You'd never hurt me, you said it yourself, you feel protective of me. I don't trust you entirely, but I trust that you'd never hurt me," she whispered, a smile coming to her face at the feel of his lips on hers.   
"I am responsible for what happened to you," he reminded her. "I knew Neal would hurt you, and yet, I referred him to you."  
"You may be responsible for what happened, but no one can see the future. Neal chose to react the way he did. He said I was just as twisted as you are," she said, still smiling.   
"Why are you smiling about that?"   
"Well, it means that I might actually deserve you. If I'm as twisted as you are, that's a good thing."  
"You really are twisted," Hannibal whispered, turning Bedelia onto her back. "No other man could ever deserve you like I do."  
"I'm surprised you're just getting that now darling," she whispered as he climbed on top of her. "Again? Already?"  
"Do you mind? You're beautiful, your body feels amazing against mine and I can't resist you," he whispered as he settled between her legs.   
Bedelia reached up and tangled her fingers into his hair. "Promise me you'll never be jealous again."  
Hannibal pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. "I promise. After all, you were right. I have no reason to be jealous."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is from a tumblr prompt, sent to me by belle-cuddy. Here is the first of many for you, dear Bedelia lover. The prompt was stop: Send me a "Stop" and I'll write a drabble about one character calming the other down (from anger, jealously, etc)  
> So I actually decided to have Hannibal try and calm Bedelia down after Neal when she wanted to give everything up. It has a surprise ending, so enjoy.

Hannibal reached his hand towards his therapist. "Bedelia please, I can help you. You have to calm down."  
Bedelia sat in her chair, her head in her hands, her breathing more erratic than Hannibal had ever seen. She wouldn't even look up at him.   
"Bedelia please, you have to control it. You have to calm down. Please, just listen to the sound of my voice. Look at me," Hannibal begged, stepping closer to her.  
Bedelia lifted her head from her hands and looked at Hannibal fearfully, her bottom lip trembling. "Hannibal, I can't do this anymore."  
"You can't do what anymore Bedelia?" he asked, approaching her again.  
"I can't continue being a psychiatrist," she replied, unable to stop being so fearful. "I just can't. I've done what no doctor is supposed to do. I killed a patient Hannibal. Why are you protecting me?"  
Hannibal sat down next to her and wrapped his arm around her. "Bedelia, you are perfectly capable of continuing your career. It was self-defense, remember?"  
"Except that it wasn't Hannibal, you know that. I can't do this anymore, I don't trust myself."  
"I trust you," he replied, holding onto her. Her head dropped to his shoulder as she began sobbing quietly.   
"But you didn't say why you're protecting me."  
"Because I feel protective of you, and because you asked me too," he replied, "I told you I would help you, and I am."  
Bedelia lifted her head up and smiled at him lightly. "I probably should be thanking you, rather than questioning you."  
Hannibal nodded. "I understand why you're wary about trusting me. I know what you've done. But I hope that you do trust me."  
Bedelia smiled, tears still falling from her eyes. "I do trust you. And I don't know, maybe I'm just out of sorts because of all that has happened, but I think that I love you."  
Hannibal smiled sadly, believing that it was because she was out of sorts and unsure what to do or say. "Bedelia, don't say that. You're my psychiatrist."  
She put her head back on his shoulder and sighed. His words pained her more than she thought they would. "I told you, I can't do this anymore. Therefore, I'm not your psychiatrist. I'm going to miss it, but if I have you."  
Hannibal looked down, feeling tears form in his own eyes. He wouldn't let them fall though. "Bedelia, you can't give it up, I need you. You're the best psychiatrist I know. You may even be better than me. I trust you Bedelia. You can still have me, but in the same capacity as you've always had me. As a patient."  
Bedelia felt her heart fall in her chest. "I don't want to be your psychiatrist anymore. I quit."  
"Bedelia, you're overreacting. You're overreacting to what happened and it's making you say crazy things. I need you."  
Bedelia grabbed his hand and put it on her wrist. "Feel my pulse. It's completely normal. I know exactly what I'm saying, and it's the truth. You know it."  
Hannibal nodded and moved his hand to touch her cheek. She was telling the truth. Of course she was, he had never known Bedelia to lie. She would tell half-truths, but never lies.   
Bedelia moved her head where his hand led, and soon she was staring straight into his eyes. "Hannibal?"  
Hannibal smiled and moved to press his forehead to hers. "You're just as sane as I am," he whispered, pressing his lips to hers. "I only have one request for our new arrangement."  
"What would that be?" Bedelia asked.  
"For an hour a week, we still pretend that you're my psychiatrist," he replied, "and you continue seeing at least some of your patients."  
"For you, I'd do anything Hannibal. Especially when I know you'll protect me," she replied, crashing her lips to his. She could always rely on him when she needed a person to trust. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's another one for sannidings, 275 cause of her birthday (may 27).

275\. "Do you think you could just please go one day without pissing me off?"

 

Bedelia sighed as Hannibal sat at the table across from her, rambling on about Will Graham. She already hated the man, and couldn't bear to hear about him. She knew that Hannibal would probably rather be with Will Graham than her, but if that were the case, why on Earth would he have brought her?  _Oh that's right,_ Bedelia recalled,  _Will betrayed him, and was nearly killed because of it. Now Hannibal forgives him. I've never betrayed Hannibal, Will Graham and I are nothing alike. I wish Hannibal would just shut up about that twitchy man. I hate him so much._

Finally, Bedelia put her fork down. "Do you think you could just please go one day without pissing me off? Just shut the hell up about Will Graham, he doesn't deserve you, and the fact that you think he does is really pissing me off," she said, cutting him off. She hated to be rude, but Hannibal was still treating her more like a therapist and less like a wife. She wanted to be his wife in more than just name, but he still hadn't tried to consummate their marriage.

Hannibal looked up at her in shock. She had never cut him off before, she'd never been so rude. He furrowed his brow and realized that she was right. He had been spending too much time talking to her about Will. He had assumed that she was happy to continue being his therapist, though she was his wife. His feelings for her were growing, but he still wouldn't consummate their marriage. If she did want to leave him, it would make things easier if he hadn't touched her at all.

But she clearly didn't want to hear about Will anymore, probably hadn't wanted to hear his name in the first place. Maybe Will didn't deserve his friendship or forgiveness; maybe he should pay more attention to Bedelia and how she felt. "What would you like to talk about then... darling?" he asked nervously. He hadn't called her darling in private, only in public where they had to pretend to be a happy couple. He wasn't pretending though. He still believed that they could be a happy couple, but that's not what Bedelia wanted... was it?

"Anything but Will Graham. I never want to hear his name again. You talk about him endlessly and barely look at me. Why won't you touch me? Will Graham betrayed you, and you're so damn foolish that you're willing to forgive him and let him back in your life. I would never do anything to betray you or put you in harm's way. Hannibal," she said, reaching out towards him, hoping he would take her hand. "I love you."

"You say that I don't deserve Will. Are you jealous that I'm willing to forgive him?" he asked, ignoring what she had said in disbelief. "I know he betrayed me, but shouldn't I give him another chance? I've done the wrong thing where he's concerned, on several occasions."

"He deserved it. He betrayed your trust. Have I ever done that?" she asked, looking at him curiously.

"No, you haven't. But I don't understand why you told me that you love me."

Bedelia smiled sadly at her 'husband'. "Because I love you. I want to be your wife, yet you can't see me as more than your therapist. You said your wedding vows to me, and I've never known you to be a liar. Make me your wife in more than just name."

"I don't want to hurt you like that," he replied, grasping her hand. "If you decide that you want to leave me, it will be more difficult once we've consummated our marriage."

"If they find us, which they might, given your behaviour, I can be made to testify if we hadn't. I'm not planning on leaving you Hannibal. I'm a woman of my word," she replied, "or do you have such little faith in me?"

"Bedelia, I just don't want your life to be difficult because of me," he whispered, "if Will has a difficult life, maybe he deserves it for betraying me. You don't deserve that, you've put up with me enough."

"Then how about you thank me by properly making me your wife?" she suggested, standing up from her chair and walking around that table towards him, not letting go of his hand. "I want nothing more than to be your wife. I wouldn't have come along if I didn't want that."

"Perhaps I should make another vow," he replied, looking up at her. "I promise that I will stop talking about Will, and I will make you my wife, properly. Oh, and I love you as well."

Bedelia bit her lip as she pulled him from his chair and towards their shared bedroom, which had seen nothing happen between them. Tonight, she was going to finally be his wife, and she was going to tell him to scream her name, just to solidify their love. "Let's go to bed. You can clean up later," she whispered when he hesitated.

"I like the way you think, my darling," he said, pulling her to him and pressing his lips to hers eagerly before pulling back and nudging her towards the bedroom. She pulled her husband the rest of the way and when they collapsed on the bed together, Bedelia couldn't be happier.

Giving him the love he deserved was sure to make him shut up about Will Graham once and for all.

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #116: "Wait a second, are you jealous?" was the prompt. 116 was the number of my Sea Cadet corps (RCSCC Skeena) that, as of recently, I am no longer a part of. I have left as I have aged out, and so I chose 116. #SkeenaRules

Bedelia snatched the bottle of wine from the counter and poured herself a glass before going into their living room with the bottle still in her hand. She sat down and took a sip. Hannibal followed her and tried to pry the bottle from her hands. Bedelia glared at him. "My wine."  
Hannibal shook his head lightly and turned away. "Wish you would call me yours," he muttered.  
Bedelia put the bottle on the table beside her and looked at Hannibal with curiosity. "Wait a second, are you jealous of my wine?" she asked, taking a sip before putting her glass beside the bottle.  
"You care more about the wine than you care about me," he replied.  
"Who told you that?" she asked, standing up from where she was seated.  
"Your behaviour. You'll call the wine yours, but you've never called me yours. I'm your husband, even if it's not real," he half-shouted.  
Bedelia flinched slightly before taking a deep breath. "Yes, you're my husband. I know that. And I love you, but I would never suggest that you are a possession. Wine is something that can be possessed, a person is not. You are my husband, but you don't belong to me," she said, "and I do not care about wine more than I care about you. I wouldn't have come along with you if that were the case."  
"Even though the wines of Italy and France are exquisite?" he asked.  
"You didn't tell me where we were going until we were at the airport," she replied, "so the wine really had nothing to do with it."  
"Would I really go to a country that didn't have good wine?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.  
"You can always buy imported wine," she reminded him, "it's what you did in America."  
Hannibal nodded lightly. "But you do love me? You did say so."  
"Of course I love you Hannibal. But I also love wine. Very much. You see, wine never made me listen to endless talks about Will Graham. Wine is what got me through all of that."  
"Well, perhaps we can share some wine, and I'll not talk about Will. After all, he's never said that he loves me."  
Bedelia smiled before nodding and passing her husband the bottle. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her lips. "Feel free to call me yours anytime you want," he whispered.  
"Yes, I'll call you mine. You are my husband. You are all mine."  
"That's what I like to hear, my love."


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The prompt was #293. "My parents are coming over in ten minutes so please put your clothes on." 
> 
> High School AU. Hannibal is a Lithuanian exchange student. He wants to take Bedelia out as his girlfriend, but her father wants to meet him first. Changed the prompt slightly, but it's still the same.

Bedelia smiled as she cuddled with her boyfriend on her bed. She knew that they shouldn't be in her bed, naked, and laying in a post-coital bliss, but Hannibal was so handsome, and even though they had only been dating for a couple of weeks, he was a wonderful boyfriend. She moved her head to check the time, her eyes shooting open when she saw that there was 10 minutes until her parents were due home. They were still naked! She looked back at Hannibal, fear in her eyes.  
"Yes darling?" he asked, stroking her arm.  
"My parents are getting home in ten minutes. Put your clothes on," she said hurriedly, trying to get off the bed and out of Hannibal's grasp.  
"I don't want to. I just want to stay here with you," he whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead.  
"Hannibal, we can't, but I'll tell you what. After you meet my parents and we have dinner, I'll drive you home and we can do it again in the back of my car," she suggested, looking at him and biting her lip.  
Hannibal groaned and rolled to hold her tightly. Bedelia shifted lightly. "Hannibal, the deal is off if you don't get off this bed and put your pants on and let the two of us get downstairs and make it look like we've been doing our already completed homework this entire time."  
Hannibal let go of his girlfriend and jumped out of the bed, pulling his clothes on. Bedelia followed him and they walked out of the door and hurried down the stairs, grabbing their schoolbags and going into the living room. They sat down beside each other on the sofa and pulled out their biology books, looking at them as the door opened.   
Bedelia's parents came into the room and saw the pair sitting on the sofa, examining their work. "Hi mom, hi dad," Bedelia said, jumping up and hurrying to hug her parents. Hannibal stood up as well, wanting to be as respectful as he could. "This is Hannibal Lecter, my friend from school that wants to take me out."  
Bedelia's father walked past his daughter and went to the young man who was looking quite confident in himself. "So you want to date my daughter?" he asked.  
"Yes Sir, I do."  
The older man furrowed his brow and glared at Hannibal, who swallowed. "If she says no, what do you do?"  
"Back off Sir."  
"Correct. Her body, her rules. If you hurt her, I will hurt you."  
"Understood Sir."  
Bedelia's father nodded and clapped Hannibal on the shoulder. "I hope you like Italian," he said, "Vivienne is an amazing cook."  
"I love Italian, and I would be happy to help if I am needed. I enjoy cooking."  
"Well, that's good, because Bedelia isn't that good of a cook. She's a marvelous girl, very smart, but couldn't cook to save her life," Mr Du Maurier joked. Bedelia nodded behind him, she knew it was true. As much as her mother would appreciate the help sometimes, she wouldn't ask Bedelia for help cooking, they valued their lives too much.  
Mrs Du Maurier turned to her daughter. "So, how's your homework going?"  
"We finished, just looking over our answers now," Bedelia replied, "we finished about 15 minutes ago, just looking over our biology homework now."  
"That's good," she said, "finish off and then relax for a little while. Show him around the house."  
Bedelia nodded and she went back to Hannibal, the two of them sitting on the sofa again, looking at their binders.

A few hours later, Bedelia and Hannibal sat in her car in an out-of-the-way spot in the city. Bedelia pulled Hannibal into the back and pulled his mouth to hers. "Don't worry, we'll get you back to your host family soon enough," she whispered, as she unbuttoned his pants and slipped her hand inside, already feeling his semi-hard cock.   
"As long as I'm home by midnight," he replied, resuming their kiss.   
Bedelia smiled against his mouth. Her father would never find out that she and Hannibal couldn't keep their hands off of each other.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, bedeliainwonderland on tumblr asked me for the first time Hannibal saw Bedelia wearing his shirt. So here it is.

Hannibal entered the hotel suite he was sharing with Bedelia. He was sure she was enjoying Paris as much as he was, but they both knew that there were only three days left in this city. They would be getting married tomorrow, and then he had two days to find new covers for them before they'd be leaving for Italy.  
He hung up his jacket before going into the bedroom part of the suite, where his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.

Bedelia was seated on the bed, reading something on her tablet, wearing one of his dress shirts. "Bedelia?" he questioned, getting her attention immediately.  
"Hi Hannibal," she said with a smile. "How was your day? Did you find anyone? A nice couple?"

"Not yet, but I will, don't worry," he replied, approaching her. "What are you wearing under _my_ shirt?"  
She glanced down and blushed. "Nothing. I hope you don't mind."

"You're naked under my shirt?" he asked, stepping closer to her.

"That's what I said," she replied, "I hope you don't mind."

Hannibal stared at her for a moment before moving closer to her until he sat on the bed. He patted the spot beside him and Bedelia moved to it. He undid the fourth button, revealing more of her skin to him, and drawing a smile from him. He placed his hand on her leg below where the shirt sat. He ran his thumb along her smooth skin and leaned towards he to place a kiss to her shoulder. "Why on Earth would I mind?" he whispered in her ear.

Bedelia shrugged. "I'm just happy if you don't." She laid down on the bed and unbuttoned the rest of the shirt. When the cool air of the hotel room hit her breasts, her nipples hardened.

Hannibal leaned over her and put his mouth to her breast, kissing it gently. "I wouldn't mind coming home to you wearing my shirt more often. As long as there's nothing underneath," he whispered before moving to her other breast and slipping his hand between her slightly spread legs.

Bedelia wiggled underneath him and smiled at her soon to be husband. "I hope to oblige you as often as I can," she replied, slipping her hands into his hair and pulling it gently. Hannibal growled lightly at her and licked his way up to her neck where he bit her and left his mark on her.

"I wouldn't mind if you never put other clothes on again, and just wore my shirt for the rest of your life. But alas, my love, you cannot," Hannibal whispered, moving behind her to cuddle her. "But you're beautiful no matter what you're wearing, or not wearing."

Bedelia blushed lightly and turned her head to press a kiss to Hannibal's lips. "I couldn't be happier that tomorrow I will be your wife."

"You and I both, my dearest heart."

"I'll keep in mind to wear your shirt more often. But only if you make love to me like this, right now," she whispered.

"And as you oblige me, I'll gladly oblige you," he replied, pressing his lips against Bedelia's neck.  
  


 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #105: "You've only heard his side of the story. You never asked for mine." For me, in honour of 5 October, the date of my birth.

Bedelia sat across from Jack and Will, refusing to make eye contact with the men who had captured her husband, the man she loved, the father of her unborn child.  
They had been talking for at least an hour about how they needed her help to prosecute him for all that had happened.   
"In all this time," she started, finally fed up with the two men in front of her. "You've only heard Hannibal's side of the story. You never asked for mine."  
Jack and Will looked at each other. "We saw your side of the story when we were in Florence, _Mrs Fell_ ," Will said, almost spitting the name. "You were too drugged up to really know what was going on."  
"Only on that day was I under the influence of those drugs. Hannibal had nothing to do with that," she said. "Do I still have the immunity I was offered the last time I was here?"  
Jack nodded. "Of course we are, but that is only valid here in America. If the Europeans ask for you to be extradited, there's nothing we can do."  
"We married in Paris, and _I_ asked him to find a married couple. I knew he would kill them. Our marriage wasn't fake. Professor Sogliato's death is technically on me. The curator of the Capponi and Anthony Dimmond, I did nothing. I stitched him up after you beat him up, Agent Crawford. I also packed for him and tried to help him escape from you. If only he hadn't wanted to be caught by," she nodded in Will's direction, not wanting to utter his name. "Everything Hannibal did, at the very least, I was an observer. There were times where I was a participant, but it was not very frequent. Don't treat me like the victim."  
Jack looked at her curiously. "Hannibal didn't tell us any of this. Did you ask him not to?"  
Bedelia gave a small smile. "I guess he was just being protective of our little one. He is very loving towards myself and our baby. Can you blame a man for wanting to protect his child? Well, neither of you would know, would you?" She placed her hand on her growing bump protectively.   
"So the child is Hannibal's?" Will asked.   
Bedelia nodded. "Yes. Who else would be my baby's father?"  
"I don't know. I just don't believe anything you've said. Here or in Florence. You're trying to protect a guilty man," Will said, "do you want your child to grow up with Hannibal Lecter as their father?"  
Bedelia nodded. "I want my child to know their father. I won't help you. Hannibal is my husband, and I will not betray him."  
"Haven't you? By telling us your side of the story?" Will asked.   
"No, my side of the story is mine to tell. Hannibal helps me however he can, and I return the favour."  
Jack sighed. "An Italian court would have no issue convicting both of you, especially in light of what you've said."  
"I know that he'll help me. And there is nothing you can do about it. May I leave?" she asked.   
Jack nodded. "You may be extradited to Europe, so stay close. We can arrest you if you try to leave."  
"Why would I want to be further away from Hannibal than I have to be. I'll either be with him or at my home," she said, "I'm going to see him now."  
Jack nodded and Bedelia stood up. She left the interrogation room with a smile. They still hadn't heard all of her story, but how she would love to recite it all to that twitchy man her husband called a friend. But for now, she was getting away with murder, and she'd be busy, keeping her baby safe.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is for bedelia-du-badass on tumblr. Send me a "Cute" and I'll write a drabble about something one character finds cute about the other.

Hannibal couldn't take his eyes off of his therapist. He knew he should have been talking, but her small smile was captivating him. He had never seen anything so sweet and beautiful in his life. He had barely seen her smile, she rarely had reason to do so since Neal had attacked her. It had been so long since he had been treated to her genuine smile that warmed his heart and made her even more beautiful than she was.   
"Hannibal, is something wrong? Why haven't you said anything for the last ten minutes?" she asked, tilting her head, her smile disappearing and her face turning into one of concern.   
Hannibal felt his own face settle into a frown. "Nothing's wrong. It was just so nice to see you smile like that. It's been a while," he replied, "but you haven't had reason to smile in a long time. What changed, if you don't mind me asking?"  
Bedelia smirked lightly. "You know exactly what it was Hannibal. You sent me those flowers, and you remembered that it's the anniversary of the day we met," she replied.  
Hannibal smiled and moved to his therapist, kneeling beside her. "You liked them? I thought that you hadn't brought them up because you didn't."  
"Of course I like them, and I've just been thinking of all the friendship that we've shared since that day. Thank you Hannibal," she replied, touching his cheek gently.  
"You're very welcome Bedelia. I just love to see you smile; it makes you even more beautiful than you already are."  
Bedelia smiled and leaned down to kiss her patient, despite her head telling her it was wrong.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 76\. "Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?"  
> Hannibal and Bedelia are teenagers. Hannibal has made a big mistake and now he wants to fix it.

Bedelia looked at Hannibal curiously. "What do you want?" she asked, trying to not sound rude, but sure that it came out that way.  
"I just wanted to see if you'd join me for dinner and a movie?" he asked, reaching out to her. "I'm sorry for what I did. I realize now that Will isn't worth my time. But I had a taste of my own medicine, and I deserved it. I'm so sorry for what I did. I just really want you and I to be friends again."  
"Why are you being so nice to me all of the sudden?" Bedelia asked, "yesterday you couldn't have cared less about who my friends were. You didn't even consider yourself one of them. I don't want to be a person that you just pick up and drop whenever you want... whenever Will Graham isn't available to be your friend, or whenever you're arguing with him."  
Hannibal hung his head in shame. "Delia, please forgive me. Will and I are done, not friends anymore. I can't be friends with someone who betrays me to his other friends, over and over again."  
Bedelia stared at him and scoffed before turning around away from him. "You betrayed me Hannibal. You stopped being my friend when Will Graham came along. I meant nothing to you, until now apparently. Why should I trust you?"  
"I don't expect you to trust me without me proving myself to you. I intend to do just that. I want to be the friend I was, only to you. Bedelia, I think Will betrayed me because he found out that I'm in love with you," he said, catching her arm before she could walk away. He spun her around and saw tears shining in her eyes.  
Bedelia turned her head away from him. "And you only realized that you love me because you left me and my friendship. I thought I meant nothing to you. I stopped trusting you. If you break my trust again, we will never be friends again, and certainly not anything more. This is the one and only chance I'm giving you Hannibal. Please, prove to me that you deserve my friendship, and in time, perhaps my love."  
"Thank you Bedelia. I promise that I won't let you down again," he said, wrapping his arms around her in a friendly hug.  
Bedelia returned the hug and held him there, holding him to her and breathing in his scent. The only scent that mattered to him. Her trust in him was already growing again, and she was happy for the first time in almost two years. Her best friend had returned. "If I mean as much to you as you mean to me, then I believe you won't betray my trust again," she whispered. "I love you too Hannibal. But please, let's give it time before we begin a relationship."  
"I'd wait forever to have you as mine Bedelia."  
"You won't have to wait that long, unless you mess up again. Please don't."  
"I won't," he replied, holding her closer to him and smiling. All was right in their world again, he could feel it.  
They would be happy together, in time. Bedelia could feel it in her heart.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i posted a torture meme on tumblr, and sannidings requested Bedannibal + "You are so stupid. So weak"  
> this caused me a lot of pain when i thought about it  
> so i brought in some will graham  
> hope you enjoy

Bedelia covered her mouth with her hands. Will Graham was taunting her about Hannibal and she didn't want to let him get the satisfaction of knowing that he was getting on her nerves. She was still sitting down as Will Graham towered over her.

"You are so stupid. So weak. Do you seriously believe that Hannibal cares what happens to you? He doesn't care about anyone but himself. You mean nothing to him," Will said, leaning towards her, close enough to look into her eyes.

Bedelia refused to look at him, afraid that tears would fill her eyes. Part of her was agreeing with what he said, but part of her knew that Hannibal cared for her and loved her. He had been so good to her throughout their time in Europe. He had always protected her. Was she wrong? No, she couldn't be. Hannibal cared about her, loved her. He had said so over and over, especially the last few months. Whenever he was holding her, he would tell her. Before he left for work, he would kiss her and tell her that he loved her. When he came home, she would be kissed again. He had always been there to protect her, and he didn't force her to do anything, including participate in his crimes.

Bedelia shook her head. "No, you're stupid and weak. Hannibal doesn't care about _you_. _You_ mean nothing to him. He loves me. He cares about me. Every night, he holds me and tells me so. You think he cares about you? He tried to kill you Will, you betrayed him. Why should he care about you? He cares about me because I've never betrayed him."

Tears flooded her eyes. "It's because of you that my life is being torn from me. Your fault that the life Hannibal and I had is being torn from me. We love each other, but you can't stand that thought, so you tell yourself that he doesn't love me. You tell yourself that I'm stupid, weak, and foolish for loving him. You're the fool because you believe that he loves you more than he loves me. That will never be true."

She smiled through the tears as Will Graham's face turned red. She laughed softly and threw her head back. "You know, at night, after Hannibal and I would make love, he'd make us a snack and we'd plot your death before going back to bed. I would sleep in his arms, him protecting me from people like you until the morning. Are you jealous?"

Will scoffed lightly. "What do I have to be jeaous of? He's allowing himself to be caught because of me. He wants to be caught by me. And you still stupidly think that he loves you?"

Bedelia bit her lip. "Do you want to see proof that Hannibal loves me? He's marked me as his own countless times. Would you like to see? His mouth feels wonderful and leaves the most incredible marks on my skin." She gathered her hair in her hand and moved it to the right side, draping it over her shoulder. She tilted her head so Will Graham could see the teeth marks and hickeys that Hannibal had left on her.

"I was so vulnerable when he had his mouth on me. He could have killed me, but he didn't. If it had been you with his mouth on your neck, you'd be dead." She danced her fingertips over the marks on her neck, smiling as she did so. "I belong to him. I'm in no way stupid or weak. I'm the only one Hannibal cares about."

Will Graham's face turned a darker shade of red as Bedelia pulled the shoulder of her dress away to expose more marks. "How do I know those are from him?" he asked, trying to not look, but the jealousy growing in his chest forcing him to.

Bedelia laughed. "Hannibal is a very possessive man. To you, I'm only his wife in name; you're wrong. I'm his wife in every way. How do you think he would feel if someone else left these marks on me? I can tell you that- I wouldn't still be here. And if I were, I wouldn't be in one piece like I am right now."

Will Graham turned away. "That's all? You think his suck and bite marks mean that he loves you? Come on Bedelia, you're just as stupid as I thought."

Bedelia shook her head. "Oh no, you're just as stupid as _I_ thought." She reached into the drawer of the table beside her and pulled out an item.

Will turned back around. "What's that?"

"See for yourself," Bedelia replied, passing it to him.

Will immediately recognized it as a home pregnancy test, realizing a moment later that it was reading positive. "It's not his."

"Again, you know how possessive he is," Bedelia replied, dropping her hand to her belly. "There's all the proof I need that he loves me, and that you're the stupid fool. If he didn't love me, why would he trust me with something so important as his only child?"

Will Graham dropped the pregnancy test on the table and turned to leave. He would find Hannibal and sort this all out. He didn't care what happened to Hannibal, and when he found him, he was going to tell Hannibal that whatever it was between them no longer existed. He was done.

Perhaps they deserved each other. Perhaps their child would grow up to be just as bad as they were. And he wanted nothing to do with it.

 

Bedelia stroked her belly, feeling the slight bump under her hand. "Thank you baby," she whispered, tears falling from her eyes. "Your father and I love you, and each other so very much. We're going to protect you from those that wish you harm, like Will Graham."

She lifted her head and called out. "Hannibal darling, you can come out from the bedroom now. Will Graham is gone, and I don't think he's coming back."

A moment later, her husband appeared beside her and took her by the hand, helping her off the chair so they could sit side by side on the sofa. Once his arm was securely around her, he pressed a gentle kiss to his wife's lips, rubbing the tiny bump on her belly affectionately.

"You were right dearest," he whispered, "Will Graham is the fool. I've always loved and cared for you."

"I know," Bedelia whispered, pressing a kiss to her husband's lips, her smile still on her lips. She had crushed her weakness long ago, but now Hannibal had given her a new weakness, one that she would protect.

 


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's teenage Bedelia's turn to be foolish when it comes to Hannibal. But he's still quite foolish.  
> Not requested by anyone. Bedelia still doesn't like Will Graham, but she wants me to tell you that Hannibal is a good kisser.

Bedelia drew back, away from Hannibal's lips, with a smile on her face. "Hannibal," she whispered softly.  
"Yes Bedelia?" he asked, bringing his right hand up to stroke her face gently.  
"Did you intend for that to be the most magical first kiss ever?"  
"I… how was that your first kiss Bedelia?"  
"I don't really have any friends anymore, certainly not friends that would kiss me. You spend all your time with Will, Alana spends all her time with Margot. Frederick and Freddie barely talk to me unless they want something. No one bothers with me anymore."  
Hannibal looked down at his feet, ashamed. Bedelia was right. They had been best friends until Will had come along, then Will became his best friend and he had pushed her aside to spend time with him. "Bedelia, I'm so sorry."  
Bedelia smiled sadly. "Don't be. It's given me more time to study, my grades are amazing, and who doesn't like alone time?"  
"There's nothing wrong with alone time or good grades, but when that's what you have in lieu of friends who care… it's not good."  
"Hasn't hurt me so far. I've not done anything stupid that could get me into trouble. Just been sitting alone, no dates or anything. Now I have one magical kiss to make my teenage years memorable."  
"Bedelia, you deserve more than what the people around you have given to you. You're intelligent, beautiful, helpful, kind… you're everything people are looking for in a friend, or a relationship. Has no one realized this and asked you on a date?"  
"The few that have only see the outside, not what you see. And they're not the one person in the world that I want to go on a date with."  
Hannibal smiled. "Tell me who it is and I will make it happen. I'm sorry for abandoning you to spend all my time with Will. Real friends spend more time together than sitting next to each other in biology class."  
"Hannibal, you can't make it happen. He means too much to me. I'd ruin everything. I'm sorry. I just can't do this," she cried, standing up from the bench and walking away from Hannibal.  
Hannibal jumped up from the bench and hurried after her. "Bedelia. I'm sorry, please don't go. I want to spend time with you. I want to make up for being a horrible friend."  
"Because Will's out of town for the weekend or something? I don't want to be second best anymore! I've been second best for so long, in everything. Second best child, second best student, second best friend to you and Alana! I don't want to have to deal with this anymore."  
"Tell me what to do to make you happy, and I'll do it. Bedelia, it's all I want to do right now. I'll do anything. Bedelia, I don't want to lose you. Yes, Will is gone for two weeks; but I want to fix things with you in those two weeks. For good."  
"What are you planning?"  
"Kissing you, taking you out for dinner, going to movies, spending time together in every way."  
"But I know that you'd stop once Will returned home. I can't do that, it would break my heart."  
"What if Will and I weren't together anymore? What if he left me?"  
"I'd just think that you wanted me for rebound purposes. You're upset and want affection, and Alana is devoted to Margot," Bedelia whispered as she wiped her eyes lightly.  
Hannibal hung his head. He had already broken her heart, and any hope he had of her wanting him was probably gone. "You could never be a rebound to me Bedelia. I still think of you as my best friend. I know I've been a terrible friend but please take me back."  
Bedelia shook her head and threw herself into his arms, holding him. "I know you'd rather have Will Graham. I don't want to date a man who would rather be with someone else everytime we're together. I want to be with you, but we can't be."  
"I think we can be. Will and I are done. You are my best friend, and I'm a fool for ditching you," he whispered, holding her in his arms. He wanted to hold Bedelia forever, he wanted to be hers in every way.  
Bedelia shook her head. "I'm the fool. I let you hold me back from getting on with my life," she replied, "and I'm going to continue to be a fool Hannibal."  
"How so?" he asked, drawing back, but not letting her go.  
"I'm going to let you make me yours," she replied, grabbing his jacket and pulling his lips towards hers.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to chapter 13  
> "You don't care about anyone but yourself." prompt requested by ferkelnase, sequel requested by lilstrawbaby  
> hope you enjoy. sorry that it's so long. it's certainly not a drabble  
> ps- i wrote it while watching game of thrones

Hannibal held his wife in his arms, stroking her slightly swollen belly. "I'm so sorry that you had to go through that Bedelia. But if Will had found me here, you know what would have happened."

"He would have tried to take you from us. I wouldn't have let him do that, you know? Not after what he said."

"Which bit my love?" Hannibal asked, entwining their fingers.

Bedelia felt tears come to her eyes as she remembered. "When he said that you don't care about anyone but yourself. That I mean nothing to you. I wanted to slap him so hard when he said that. He doesn't know you at all."

"He isn't supposed to know me like you do. You're my wife, the love of my life, the mother of my unborn child, my touchstone. I can always go to you when I need something, just as you can always come to me. But it does hurt that he believes I don't care about anyone but myself," Hannibal replied, Bedelia leaning her head on his shoulder.

"It hurt me too. I don't have much experience with long-term relationships, but I've never been with a man who has loved me like you have. You and I know each other better than anyone else does," she whispered, "I love you and no one will ever take you from us. No one will take our child from us. Our family is worth fighting for. And not just to prove to everyone that you care about someone other than yourself."

Hannibal held her closer to him, pulling her onto his lap. Bedelia buried her head in Hannibal's neck and breathed in his scent. "Hannibal, honey. Let's go to bed."

"Are you tired?" he asked, rubbing her back gently as she inhaled her scent.

"No, I just want to be with you. Make love, have a snack, plot to end those that wish our family harm. Our typical night my love," she replied, "carry me to our bed darling."

Hannibal scooped his wife up into his arms and carried her small form to their bedroom where he gently laid her down on their bed and began to undress her. He gently unbuttoned her blouse and pulled her skirt down her legs, gazing at her for a moment in her lace undergarments before he bent down and pressed a kiss to her lips, running his hands down her body. He shifted down and pressed a kiss to her tiny bump. Bedelia ran her fingers through his hair and smiled at him happily.

"This is the truth," he whispered, his lips hovering over the bump and his eyes locked on hers. "The truth is that you, our child, and I are the only people in the world that I care about. Everyone else can die, I can kill them, and I will. If anyone ever attempts to lie to you again, tries to hurt you again, I'll kill them. Will Graham, Jack Crawford, the Vergers, Alana Bloom; all of them, until there are only those I care about left in the world. It's the only way I can ensure my family, and my life, are safe from harm."

Bedelia's smile broadened as she pulled his hair to bring his lips to hers. His tongue pushed into her mouth eagerly, dancing against hers as perfectly as they danced when they waltzed. His hands cupped her cheeks and he flipped them, putting his wife on top. He broke the kiss and pushed her blouse from her body. She threw it to the ground hastily as she looked down at her husband. She got off him and unbuttoned his shirt, telling him to take it off as she unbuttoned his trousers and pulled them down his legs.

She could see his erection through the fabric of his silk boxers and she danced her fingers along it, making her husband inhale sharply. "Hannibal, get back on top and make love to me. It's all I want right now. The more we love each other, the less others will question us. Hold me and love me the way you always have, like I'm the only person in the world that you want to be with. Show me the truth once again, never stop showing me. I can't be without you a single moment my love. Nothing matters to me except for you and our child. Not anymore. They can call us selfish, but you and I are the farthest things from it. Our love is focused to include only those that truly matter."

"How could I be selfish when I have you in my life to care for? Will Graham is the biggest fool of them all, and he will be the first to go," Hannibal whispered against her lips as he flipped the two of them again before he unclasped her bra, pulled it from her body and threw it to the ground. "How would you like me to kill him? I'll be doing it to preserve the honour of our family."

"Exactly how you tried last time. Stick a knife in him, and finish the job this time. Prove to him that you care about others, just not him. He means nothing to our world," she replied as she pushed his boxers down his legs. Hannibal kicked them off and moved his hands so that his fingers were dancing along the lace waistband of Bedelia's panties. "Do it Hannibal. I need you, you need me, there's no point in trying to hide it anymore."

Hannibal smiled and pulled the lace from his wife's body and dropped them to the floor. "You are quite honestly, the most beautiful woman in the world." Bedelia blushed softly and he settled himself between her legs, pressing his lips to hers urgently once again. Bedelia pushed herself towards him to feel his erection pressing against her.

"Hannibal please," she whispered softly, biting her lip when she pushed him back for air.

Hannibal nodded and thrust into her gently, filling her completely from the beginning. He gave her a moment to adjust to having him inside her again before she urged him to hurry up and move. Hannibal couldn't help but smile; Bedelia's pregnancy was making her even sexier and wanting than she usually was. He thrust into her over and over again, thrilled by the way her nails were scraping along his back and the moans that fell from her lips. He alternated speeds and roughness, not wanting to wear himself or his beautiful wife out too quickly, though it gradually became harder and harder to not thrust into her at the fastest and roughest speed that he could.

Moments later, Hannibal put his mouth on Bedelia's neck, biting down and sucking on it roughly as he slowly thrust in and out of her. Bedelia cried out loudly as her walls clenched around him. Hannibal kept going, pulling away from Bedelia's neck when he came inside of her with a loud moan of his own.

When they caught their breath, Hannibal moved to lay beside her, pulling his wife into his arms gently and holding her. Her skin was so soft and he couldn't help but be entranced by her entire being. She was beautiful, and he found himself hoping that the child she was carrying would be a little girl, so that she would look like Bedelia. But Bedelia herself was hoping for a son to look like his father, but she would be happy either way. She supposed that she wouldn't mind twins, one of each, but she wasn't sure how well she and Hannibal would be able to handle two babies.

Their post-coital cuddling was interrupted by a loud knock at the door. Bedelia looked up at Hannibal and climbed off the bed, grabbing her silk dressing gown from the hook by the door before she went to answer it.

She nearly screamed when she opened the door and Will was standing there with an officer from theQuestura and Jack Crawford.

"What do you want?" she asked, glaring at Will Graham, "haven't you tormented me enough for one day?"

Will laughed lightly. "I'm afraid not, _Mrs Fell_. You see, there is no evidence that your _husband_ left your home. We need to come in and check that he isn't still here. If so, you're harbouring a fugitive and will go to jail with him. We don't care if you're carrying a child, you're a criminal."

Bedelia felt fear enter her heart. Hannibal promised her that no harm would come to her or their baby. She heard Hannibal's footsteps behind her from across the room. "Lydia darling, who is it?" he asked.

At the sound of his voice, Will Graham pushed the door open and pushed past Bedelia, nearly knocking her to the floor. She turned to look at Hannibal, and when she did, he had plunged a knife into Will Graham's stomach and pulled it out, letting the twitchy man fall to the floor and bleed out. Jack and the officer from theQuestura stopped dead in their tracks as Hannibal approached Bedelia like a predator.

"There's no reason to fear," he whispered, handing her another knife and nodding at her.

Bedelia returned the nod, and together they turned towards their other guests and stabbed them in the same way that Will Graham had been stabbed. Bedelia felt a rush of excitement. This time, she didn't technically kill someone, she killed someone with no room for doubt. As she pulled the knife from the Italian, Hannibal pulled his from Jack Crawford. The two men fell to the ground just as Will Graham had as they began to bleed out.

Hannibal took the knife from Bedelia's hand and led her to the sofa, where they sat down together. Bedelia once again buried her face in her husband's neck, trying to calm herself.

"You did wonderfully my dear," he reassured her, rubbing her back.

"I thought for sure they were going to take you," she mumbled.

"I told you I cared about us, and only us. I promised to do this for us. I said Will Graham would be the first to go. I said I would kill them all. I'm sorry for needing your help."

Bedelia shook her head. "I didn't mind. I'll never mind. Anything for you and our child. We'll stop them all from doubting that you care about us. They only say you don't care because they're jealous that you don't care about them."

"You know me so well my love," Hannibal whispered into her ear when she lifted her head. He pulled her in for a gentle kiss, pleased that he had been able to keep his promise to his love and his heir.

 


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt 292. "I waxed the floors, grab your fluffy sox." Requested by sannidings because I accidentally spoiled chapter 15 for her. this is my apology. please forgive me. pure fluff and goofiness, like the prompt suggests

Hannibal walked into the villa he shared with Bedelia in Florence where she called out for him to stop as soon as he walked in the door. He looked up at his wife and furrowed his brow as he saw her standing there in a pair of her yoga pants and her old Harvard sweater that she had brought with her from Baltimore.

"Bedelia, are you okay?" he asked, unused to seeing her dressed so casually. Even though she wasn't working in Florence, she still wore skirts and blouses that cost him a fortune. He didn't mind, she wore them confidently and she was worth every euro he had spent on her new wardrobe both here in Florence and Paris when they had married.

She nodded lightly. "I had someone come in and wax the floors today, so take off your shoes and grab your fluffiest socks, I know you have a pair or two. We're going to have a contest to see who gets to choose what we do for date night tomorrow," she said, smiling happily.

"Are we now?" Hannibal asked, tilting his head and smirking lightly.

"Yes we are. It's been a while since we've had any genuine fun, and after all that has happened, I think we need to have some fun."

"Who am I to say no to my wife?" Hannibal asked, pulling off his shoes and approaching his wife. He pulled her into him and pressed his lips to hers, running his hands down to feel her bottom through her yoga pants. She pushed him away with a small laugh and pushed him gently towards their bedroom.

Hannibal went willingly, stripping off his clothing as he went, wanting to give his lovely wife a show she'd never forget. When he got into the bedroom, he went into his chest of drawers, pulling out the exercise clothes Bedelia had purchased for him. He slipped them on and grabbed the socks she insisted that he wore, pulling them onto his feet before leaving the bedroom to meet his wife in the living room.

Bedelia was moving some of the furniture that she could lift, clearly to prevent any injuries. He cleared his throat and Bedelia turned to her husband, smiling brightly again. "Well, don't you look like the sexiest man I've ever seen?" she asked, running her hands down his chest, admiring him in the tight t-shirt she had purchased for him. It certainly had the effect she had desired all along.

Hannibal put his hands on her hips, holding her. "So what exactly is the plan? And the rules for tonight?"

"Well, once we finish opening up some space, we're going to slide across the floor in our socks and whoever gets the furthest three times will get to choose what we do for tomorrow's date night," she replied, "any further questions?"

Hannibal shook his head and pressed a soft kiss to his wife's lips. When he pulled back, he smiled and helped her move the rest of the furniture without scratching the floors. Once they were ready, Bedelia set a marker, establishing that it wasn't allowed if you tried to run past that point, and if you did, the other got to spank you. Hannibal nodded and hoped that she would make that mistake on purpose, because he was certainly planning to.

They both got about 10 feet behind the marker and began to run towards it. The first time, Bedelia and Hannibal both ran past the marker. Bedelia turned her back to her husband and put her hands on the back of the sofa, bending over slightly.

Hannibal smiled as he delivered a sharp slap to Bedelia's bottom before rubbing it gently to sooth the pain he was sure that she would be feeling. "That was nice," she whispered, turning her head to wink at him. "Now it's my turn."

Hannibal took the spot that Bedelia occupied and she rubbed his backside for a moment before bringing her hand back and placing a sharp slap to his rear. Hannibal bit his lip to stop him from crying out. He had not been expecting Bedelia to slap him that hard.

"Are you okay darling?" she asked, "did I hurt you?"

"Yes to both my love, but it was very nice. Once I got over the shock," he replied.

"Alright, back to the start," she said, taking his hand in hers and pulling him back to the start. They both started running and this time, neither stepped over the line as they began to slide. Hannibal tried to grab Bedelia, but she smacked his hand away and he fell, Bedelia stopping about a foot after him.

"One for me," she said, as she pushed her hair behind her shoulders again. She helped Hannibal up and the two of them went back.

Bedelia got one more, before she tripped over her feet trying to not pass the line and Hannibal got six feet further than her before he hurried back to help her up. "I won't spank you this time, you tripped." He pressed a kiss to her lips and led her back to the start.

Hannibal got the next one as well. For the tie breaker, Hannibal went first, stopping about 9 feet away from the line. Bedelia ran and slid, trying to avoid Hannibal and instead, sliding right into him, knocking him to the floor.

She lay on top of him and looked down into his eyes. "We never discussed what would happen if one of us fell on top of the other," he whispered, reaching up to stroke her cheek.

"Well, how about we just call it a draw," she replied, touching his cheek and feeling his light stubble.

"Sounds good to me. What would you like to do tomorrow?"

"Just have sex from dusk till dawn."

"That's exactly what I was going to say," Hannibal said, pulling Bedelia's lips to his own and moving his hands to cup her backside again.

Bedelia returned his kiss before pulling back for a moment. "How about we do it tonight as well," she suggested, bending her head to bite Hannibal's neck.

Hannibal nodded and shifted so that he could get up with Bedelia in his arms. He carried her to the bedroom and placed her on the bed, wondering if he would make it to the Capponi the next day.

 

An hour later, Hannibal and Bedelia lay in each others arms on the bed, both covered in a layer of sweat. "That was a lot of fun," Hannibal said, "I'm surprised we lasted so long."

"So am I. Rest before we start again."

"Why rest?" Hannibal asked, rolling Bedelia onto her back and climbing on top of her again. "I'm ready to go again."

Bedelia smiled and pulled her husband's lips to hers. She wasn't going to let go anytime soon.

 


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 103\. "Did you enjoy yourself last night?"  
> Dedicated to: Not_You based on a convo we had! Very short but whatever.

Bedelia grumbled as the daylight hit her eyelids. She opened them slowly before covering her eyes with her hands. Hannibal woke up on the chair beside the bed when she started grumbling.   
"Good morning Bedelia," he said, "did you enjoy yourself last night?"  
She glared at Hannibal. "Mouth. Dry."  
"Glass of water and bottle of aspirin right beside you. But you didn't answer me. Did you enjoy yourself last night?"  
She glared at him sharply. "Why the hell are you in my house?"  
"We're still at my home. Where you decided to have a drinking competition where you outdrank all of your competitors and were so drunk afterwards that you thought it would be a good idea to try and out-drink my dining room table. At which point you passe out and I carried you up here, changed you into one of my pajama shirts and slept in this chair by my bed to make sure you didn't get too sick or die in the night."  
Bedelia nodded her head once. "Thank you," she said, holding her head and realizing Hannibal was telling the truth. "I dread to think what would happen if you hadn't kept me here."  
"I'm protective of you, and I just want you to promise me one thing before I help you with this hangover," he said.   
"I don't get hangovers," she said quietly.   
"Okay, but you have one now," he replied, raising an eyebrow at her.   
She shrugged her shoulders lightly. "So what do you want me to promise you?"  
"Never try to out-drink an inanimate object again," he requested.   
Bedelia smiled and raised a hand to block out the sun. She nodded lightly, getting a smile from Hannibal who stood to fix the curtains, making sure she didn't get any light in her eyes to irritate her. He was only glad for the opportunity to take care of his therapist like she took care of him.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 69\. "It was a mistake coming here."  
> not requested by anyone.

Bedelia sat in her chair, glaring at Will Graham. "It was a mistake coming here," she said, not taking her eyes off of her opponent.  
"Whose mistake?" he asked, "I think it was yours. You allowed this to happen to yourself."  
"You keep going back to a man who doesn't care if you live or die. A man who has tried to kill you and have your life destroyed. It was your mistake, Will Graham."  
"Bedelia, you really don't see it, do you? He kidnapped you, drugged you, forced you to help him in his crimes, and you think that I've made a mistake by coming to catch him."  
Bedelia nodded. "Because you'll never catch him. He won't let you capture him, not truly. He'll let you think that you have, but you won't ever be able to."  
"And you'll never be free of him," Will replied with a small smile.  
"I'm free because I love him. Why would I want to be free of the man I love? Do you understand love at all?" she asked, smiling lightly. "He and I will always find a way to be together."  
"Has he brainwashed you so badly to believe that the two of you are in love?" Will asked, "perhaps I should pity you."  
Bedelia shook her head. "I don't need your pity, I'm above you, don't you see? I know so much more about Hannibal's plans than you do. I always have. You think I'm brainwashed, go take a look in the damn mirror. Don't you see what he's done to you? He got you thrown in prison, tried to kill you, and yet you come running back to him like a little puppy. Suppose you picked up on how to do that from hanging around so many dogs."  
Will Graham shook his head and smiled at the entire situation he was in. "I'm not trying to find him for me, I'm trying to find him so I can bring him to justice, Dr Stolkholm Syndrome."  
Bedelia shook her head. "Like I said, it was a mistake for you to come here. I believed you once, and take my words now as me trying to help you. Leave now, or Hannibal will kill you when he returns."  
Will turned to leave, Bedelia sitting down. "He won't hurt me, don't worry. I'm having his child, he'd never hurt a child who has done no wrong, especially when it's his own."  
Will turned his body and glared at her. "That's what you're telling him isn't it?"  
"I'm telling him the truth. Again, you clearly haven't been listening to me, we love each other, and we will always be together," she said, "but if you think that this fairytale has a happy ending for you, you haven't been paying attention. The vilain is always defeated, and the prince and princess live happily ever after."  
Will shook his head and walked to the door, opening it. His eyes nearly fell out of their sockets when he saw Hannibal standing there.  
"Hello Will. It's a pleasure to see you here. Has Bedelia taken good care of you?" he asked, walking in the door, Will backing up to stay away from him.  
"We had a very interesting conversation darling. Unfortunately, he wanted to leave before you returned," Bedelia said, moving towards her husband to greet him, taking his briefcase and his coat before pressing a kiss to his lips.  
Hannibal looked at Will as he reached into his pocket.  
"I'm just going to go. Bedelia was right, this was a mistake."  
Will walked past Hannibal to the door and Bedelia looked fearfully at Hannibal who pulled his knife out of his pocket and brought his finger to his lips. Bedelia nodded with a broad smile as Hannibal turned around and approached Will Graham quickly and quietly, reaching him just before he reached the door.  
"It certainly was," Hannibal whispered as he grabbed Will from behind and cut his throat with one swift stroke. He let go and Will fell to the floor, blood spurting from his throat.  
Hannibal walked back to Bedelia and took her into his arms, kissing her firmly on the lips. He held the point of the knife at her back and she tensed when she felt it.  
"Did you try to help him Bedelia?" he asked against her lips, "tell me the truth."  
Bedelia shook her head. "I knew you were outside the door. You always get home at this time. This is exactly what I wanted. I wanted him to think that I was helping him, he called me Dr Stolkholm Syndrome and it pissed me off. I told him he was going to die. I told him the truth, that we love each other," she whispered.  
Hannibal smiled and pressed his lips to hers again, pulling the knife away from her. He knew she would never betray him, she was only helping in her own way. She always had and she always would.

 


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I want you naked." for tumblr's bedeliainwonderland

Hannibal walked in the door of the apartment he was sharing with his 'wife' in Florence. He hung up his coat, placed his briefcase on the floor, and walked through to their sitting room and found her lounging on their sofa with her feet up on the foot rest, a glass of wine in her hand and an empty bottle beside her on the table.   
"Good afternoon Bedelia," he said in greeting as he strode towards her, pressing a kiss to her lips.  
"Good afternoon husband," she replied, reaching out her hand to him when he drew back. She pouted, "Oh, you have to give me more than that. You have to give me what I want. It's your duty as my husband."  
Hannibal sighed lightly, hoping she didn't want anything too extreme from him. She was probably drunk, and he didn't think that was the first bottle to be emptied in the apartment that day. "And what is it that my wife so desperately wants?" he asked, a curious tone to his voice.   
"I want you naked," she replied, leaning towards him and whispering as though they needed to keep the 'secret' from anyone else.  
Hannibal looked at her curiously. "Bedelia, you're drunk. You don't know what you're saying." He tried to hide the hurt in his eyes at the fact that Bedelia would never say anything of the sort while sober. It had been hard enough when they discussed how they would consummate their marriage, and she'd finally agreed to have in happen in the absolute dark, only removing what was necessary, and not seeing each others faces. He hadn't enjoyed it at all, and he was sure that she didn't either. He wanted to please her and make love to her, but he wouldn't take advantage of her and allow it to happen when she was drunk.  
Bedelia shook her head lightly. "I'm sober Hannibal. I haven't had that much to drink. And I want you to be naked. And for me to be naked too I suppose," she replied, her voice slightly slurred.  
"I don't want you to regret being with me tonight. You're not sober enough for us to be together and for me to have a clean conscience. I could never touch you without your sober consent. I am not that kind of man Bedelia," he replied, sitting down beside her.  
"Hannibal, you have to believe me. I'm sober enough to know that I want you naked. I couldn't say these things if I hadn't had at least a little bit of wine," she replied, "I just want to be with you. I know you're unhappy with our marriage right now, and I want you to be happy."  
"I want you to be happy as well. And taking advantage of you wouldn't make you happy. But if you come to bed with me right now, and sleep for a little while, when you wake up, you can get me naked," he said, hoping that it would work and Bedelia would be able to sleep her drinking off. He wanted to be naked with her so much that it was almost physically painful that he wasn't with her.   
Bedelia got off the sofa and took Hannibal's hand and led him to the bedroom, only stumbling twice in the entire trip. When they got to their bedroom, Bedelia took off her skirt, blouse, stockings and shoes before climbing into bed in her lace bra and panties.   
Hannibal felt himself getting hard, just seeing her like that made him want to be with her even more. If she didn't want him anymore when she was sober, he didn't know what he would do. He had never seen her in such a state of undress. It was very appealing to see a beautiful, strong woman become even stronger (despite her intoxication) as she shed her clothing. He loved her, that was the only thing he could say. He loved her and now, he never wanted to be without her.  
If she broke his heart, he would never recover from the pain. He stripped down to his boxers and joined her on the bed.

A few hours later, they awoke, Bedelia suffering from a light headache. Hannibal hurried from the bathroom to bring her some water and a couple of aspirin. As she took the aspirin, she thanked him before commenting, "I thought I said I wanted you naked."  
"You did, a few times actually," he said, "and I said that when you sobered up, we could be naked together."  
"I'm sober now," she whispered.   
Hannibal smiled lightly. "Yes, my darling wife, you are sober."  
"And what are you going to do about it?" she asked, batting her eyelashes at him.  
"I'm going to do as my wife wishes," he replied, pushing his boxers to the floor. "Your turn."  
Bedelia unclasped her bra, removed it and dropped it to the floor before removing her panties and dropping them as well. "Come and get me husband."  
Hannibal climbed onto the bed and did exactly what his wife wished for him to do.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 296\. "We've become the clingy newlyweds you always complained about."  
> Not requested, just thought it was cute. very short.

Hannibal held Bedelia's hand tightly as they walked through Florence together. They were on a shopping trip for Bedelia and she was having a wonderful time in the city, a place where everything was so expensive, and worth the money they would pay for it.   
She liked having Hannibal's hand in hers, it felt secure, even though everything could fall apart if he wasn't careful. She tightened her grip on his hand and moved closer to him.   
Hannibal looked down at her and smiled. "Is everything alright darling?" he asked, like the perfect husband would, if any of this was real.   
"Yes dear, I'm just so happy that we're here in this beautiful city, together and madly in love," she replied, smiling up at Hannibal so brightly, the sight nearly made Hannibal's heart skip a beat. She wasn't faking, she was truly happy with him. Beautiful Bedelia was happy to be with him, halfway across the world from the place that she called home.   
Suddenly she laughed lightly, pulling him from his thoughts.  
"What is it Bedelia?" he asked curiously.   
"Nothing, it's just that we've become the clingy newlyweds that you always complained about. Every time we saw a couple behaving exactly as we are now, you grumbled and complained," she said. "What changed?"  
Hannibal smiled lightly at her and smiled. "What changed is the fact that I am completely in love with you. I finally understand those people and their behaviour."  
Bedelia smiled happily at her husband. "How about we go home and behave like the newlyweds we are a little bit more."  
Hannibal stopped, turned and pressed a light kiss to her cheek. "I say that we shouldn't waste anymore time."


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not a drabble, but short.  
> Prompt: Another night; another dream... always you... but why?

Bedelia woke with a start, trying to push her loosely curly hair back from her sweat covered face. She couldn't do this anymore, it simply wasn't right. Hannibal was her patient, and having erotic dreams about him was simply not appropriate. But this one had been worse than the others.  
It had begun innocently, like their sessions were. He was dangerous, and she knew it, and her dreams and subconscious still proved that she wanted him. Sitting up, she tried to not think of his mouth on her as she cried out and held his body to her.  
Going into her bathroom, she wet a washcloth and wiped her face with it, repeating her actions from the night before, and several nights before that.  
Every night for the past month, she had been having dreams about her and Hannibal, dreams that could never come true. It was crazy, and she didn't know if she really wanted what she was dreaming of. And even if she did, she couldn't have it. Not now, not ever; it simply wasn't professional.  
Maybe this was more than craziness, but something in her head told her to call him and see if that got him off her mind.  
Going back into her bedroom, she picked up her phone and scrolled through her short list of contacts before selecting to call Hannibal's number. Waiting for him to pick up, she became nervous, which was completely silly, but she couldn't stop it.  
When she finally heard his voice greet her and say her name from the other end, she smiled.  
"Hi Hannibal," she said, "are you busy?"  
"No, I couldn't sleep, I was just reading. Is something wrong?" he asked, concern flooding his voice. She had never tried to telephone him this late at night.  
"Not really, I just wanted to talk," she replied, completely unsure of what to do now.  
"Do you want me to come over? It might be better to talk in person," he suggested.  
"Okay, if it's not too much trouble," she said looking down at her nightgown, noting that she would need to change or cover more before he arrived.  
"I wouldn't have suggested it if it weren't too much trouble," he said, "I'l be there in 15 to 20 minutes. Is that alright?"  
"Yes, it is. See you then," she said quietly, hanging up the phone and grabbing her dressing gown to cover her short, sheer nightgown.  
Looking at the clock, she furrowed her brow. It was 1:30 in the morning. Did Hannibal ever sleep? Shaking her head, she pulled her slippers on and left her bedroom to go downstairs.  
Walking into her kitchen, she uncorked a new bottle of wine and poured herself a glass, drinking a decent amount of it at once. Was she crazy for allowing a dangerous man to come to her home? Was she crazier for hoping that something might happen between them? Was she beyond crazy for abandoning what she had decided earlier that day; to cut Hannibal Lecter out of her life and refuse to be his therapist anymore?  
When she heard her doorbell ring, she tried to not hurry to the door, not wanting Hannibal to think that she was too eager to see him. Opening the door, she smiled at Hannibal.  
"Come in," she said, opening her door more. Hannibal stepped inside with a smile. "Would you like some wine?"  
"If it's no trouble," he replied, taking off his leather jacket. Bedelia took it and hung it up, smiling as Hannibal placed his motorcycle helmet under it. She moved her head and looked at him subtly. He probably noticed, but she didn't really care.  
Leaving him seated in her sitting room, she went back into the kitchen, grabbed a glass for him and took her own half-filled glass as well as the bottle into the sitting room.  
She handed him his glass and poured a generous amount of wine into it before sitting donw.  
Once she was seated, he took a drink and asked, "what did you want to talk about?"  
Sighing, Bedelia tried to figure out how she wanted to say what she was going to. "I'm having a dilemma. A moral and ethical dilemma," she said, taking a sip of her wine.  
"And you want my help?" he asked, "interesting seeing as how you have tried to accuse me of being unethical when it comes to my relationship with Will Graham."  
"Hannibal, please," Bedelia said, feeling frustrated as she imagined other scenarios in which she could say that to him.  
"Tell me about it," he said, taking another sip of wine. "Completely off topic before you begin, but have I ever told you that you have splendid tastes in wine?"  
Bedelia shook her head lightly, and took a sip before beginning. "Well, for the last month or so, I haven't been able to get very much proper sleep. I've been having dreams about myself and... er, a patient in various compromising positions," she explained nervously. He was her only patient, of course he would know that it was him.  
"Do you wish to act on these dreams of yours? You know what will happen if you do," he reminded her, "Dr Du Maurier, you could lose your license for this."  
"I know these things, but the dreams keep coming. My subconscious still wants him," she said, "I can't lose my career because of him, I really can't. But I want him so badly. And my career is basically over anyways, right? He's my forbidden fruit."  
"Can you tell me who it is?" he asked, wanting her to tell him that she was dreaming of him late at night. He was her only patient, and the thought of being with her was keeping him awake as well. He wanted her, just as badly as she wanted him. He wouldn't let her lose anything because of him, he would be careful with her. He wouldn't let anyone even try and take anything away from her. Even though she said they weren't friends, he knew that they were. Or at least, he thought of her as a friend.  
Bedelia took a large gulp of wine before speaking again. "Hannibal, it's you. You're the one I've been dreaming of. Every night, it's a new dream and it's always you. I just don't understand. And I know you don't want me, it's just wrong of me to think of you like that, I know," she half-stammered.  
Hannibal moved to her and put his arm around her. He had never seen his 'ice queen' psychiatrist fall apart like this. Not even when she had killed her patient. She still had at least a partial grasp on what was happening, even though she was in shock. "Bedelia, I know you don't think of me as a friend, but you just admitted that you- or at least your subconsious- think of me as a lover," he said. "Do you want to proceed as though you'd never revealed this to me, or do you want to do something about your feelings?"  
"If we did anything, no one could ever find out. Ever. And if you'd tell anyone about it, we should proceed as though nothing was ever said," she replied, dropping her head to his shoulder.  
"I won't tell if you won't tell," he whispered into her hair, pressing his lips to it.  
"Why would I tell?" she asked, "that would be the worst form of self-sabotage known to man."   
Hannibal felt a small smile com to his lips. "Well, let's do something about it then."  
Bedelia smiled and turned her head, Hannibal's lips descending onto hers. Wrapping her arms around him, she deepened the kiss.

Hannibal walked into Bedelia's office a few days later, eager to begin his session. Bedelia looked at him and smiled lightly.  
"Doctor," he began quietly, "I've been experiencing daydreams about a certain psychiatrist that you may know. Can we talk about it?"  
Smirking, Bedelia nodded. Hannibal kissed her cheek softly before sitting down, and telling her all about his own feelings surrounding their new, and completely secret, relationship. She couldn't be happier.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 91\. "Promise me you’ll look after your father."

Emilie pulled her phone out of her pocket, confused as to why her mother would be calling her at such a time of day. She was at a conference, and was only calling her at night, around 10:30 to say goodnight. She knew something was wrong, but she didn't know what, and that scared her. She answered the call and brought her phone up to her ear.  
"Mama, I'm here... what's the matter?" she asked, panic seeping into her voice as she heard shouting and sirens in the background.  
"Emilie... promise me you'll go to your father," Bedelia asked, her breathing shallow at the other end of the line.  
"Mama, what's the matter?" she asked. Her mother rarely mentioned her father, and she had never made her promise that she would go to him. It was dangerous for either of them to risk going to see him. Jack Crawford and the FBI made that so.  
"I've been shot dearest, the paramedics say that I might not make it. I don't want to die yet, but if I do, I need you to go and see your father. Tell him... tell him what I told you. That I love him, that I missed him," Bedelia said slowly, fighting the pain of her wound.  
"Mama, I'm not ready to lose you!" she exclaimed loudly.  
"My dear, you're strong. Just like your father and I. You're the best of us both. I love you."  
"Mama, who shot you."  
"I don't... I don't know. Dearest Emilie, I... can't fight... it... anymore. So... tired."  
"Mama- MAMA," Emilie shouted into the phone before she burst into tears. She couldn't even hear her mother breathing anymore. Suddenly, a man's voice floated into her ears.   
"Are you Bedelia Du Maurier's daughter?" he asked.  
"Yes, I am," Emilie replied.  
"I'm sorry, we couldn't save her."  
Emilie pulled the phone away from her ear and hung up.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 142: "I'm your daughter."

Hannibal looked at the blonde girl standing a few feet away from the glass wall of his cell. She looked so much like Bedelia, but it couldn't be her. Bedelia had recently died, or so he'd been told. He hadn't been allowed to attend the funeral, even though it was for his estranged wife, whom he still loved. He missed her, he hadn't seen her in quite some time.   
After his escape with Will Graham, she had cut him out of her life, even refusing to help him when he had gone to her after killing Will Graham for trying to make him turn himself into the FBI. She'd said that what he'd done was unacceptable and that he only ever thought of himself. He'd never seen her since, not once in 15 years.   
"Who might you be?" he asked, "a PhD candidate who wants to pick my brain and thinks that looking like my late and estranged wife will help with that?"  
The girl shook her head. "Dr Lecter, I'm your daughter. I don't think mom ever told you about me. My name is Emilie. Emilie Lecter-Du Maurier. You and mama conceived me in Florence."  
Hannibal beckoned her to approach him and as she complied, he noticed that she had his eyes and nose. He wanted to embrace her and it hurt him that he couldn't. She was beautiful, just like her mother had been.  
"I apologize for my rudeness, I've just had so many academics want to talk to me and try to understand me," he explained.  
Emilie smiled at him brightly and shook her head lightly. "There is no reason for you to apologize. Mama says she understood you, and she talked about you a lot. I think I understand you, though I would like for you to tell me if I do. Mama told me to not let the kids at school bother me because of what you've done. I am proud to bear your name father, Mama taught me to be."  
"They wouldn't let me go to her funeral. I tried and I'm so sorry Emilie. You look so much like her, it's almost scary."  
"Did they at least tell you what she died of? Or did they strip you of that too?" she asked, tilting her head slightly. She was angry that the administration and probably the FBI as well had stopped her father from seeing the final resting place of her mother, his wife. He needed to have been there, in order to have closure.  
"They didn't tell me Emilie. Please tell me she wasn't in very much pain before she died."  
Emilie shook her head. "I think she was, I'm sorry to say. She was shot in New York while I was here at school. She was attending a conference and well... they caught the man who did it though. It was a relative of someone you'd killed. She always spoke out for you. Casting you in the best possible light, but never revealing anything that she knew, but it made her a target."  
Hannibal smiled. "I thought she hated me after what I did 15 years ago."  
Emilie shook her head. "She didn't. She was upset for a while, but she never hated you. The FBI warned her that she would be arrested and I would be placed in a foster home if she tried to visit you again. Said they would have her for aiding and abetting a murderer. She loved you until her last breath."  
Hannibal hung his head. "Do you mind if I change the subject? I don't like to think of Bedelia having to die for me, I was supposed to die for her."  
Emilie shook her head lightly. "I'd welcome a change of subject in fact."  
Hannibal thought for a brief moment before finally deciding on a suitable topic. "What are you studying in school? If you're anything like your mother and I, you're bound to be top of your class."  
"I graduate high school next month, my class has elected me to be valedictorian. I am top of my class in almost all of my subjects. I'm going to be studying law at Harvard in a few years. But I need to do my undergrad before I can get in. So I'm studying religion, law and anthropology as an undeclared major. My guidance counsellor says that it's a good idea to understand cultures and religions in order to understand their laws."  
"Are you going to be studying international law?" he asked, "that's what your grandfather did, and it's how I originally met your mother. He was very successful."  
Emilie nodded. "But mostly I want to defend those that are like you. I want to find a way to get you out of here."  
Hannibal smiled lightly and beckoned her closer to the glass. When she was close enough, he whispered softly. "We'll find a way to get me out. Then we can be a real family my dear. I'm proud to call you my daughter."  
Emilie smiled, tears shining in her eyes. "Thank you. I'm proud to call you my father. I love you."  
"I love you too Emilie."


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: abuse  
> 38\. "If he's going to treat you like shit, I'm going to kick his ass."

Hannibal walked into Bedelia's bedroom and saw her laying on the bed crying. Immediately he went to her, not wanting his 'wife' to be upset about anything.   
Aside from what he would not fix. It had taken him forever to get Will Graham, and now that he finally had the other man, he wasn't going to let him go. "Bedelia darling, what's the matter?" he asked, sitting down on the bed and stroking her back. Bedelia shook her head furiously, refusing to lift her head.   
"Bedelia, show me now before I have to force you to show me," he replied.   
Bedelia slowly sat up and turned, revealing a dark purple-ish bruise aroind her left eye. "I'm sorry Hannibal, it was all my fault."  
"Who did it Bedelia? Tell me, because I'm going to make their life a living hell."  
"It was Will. He asked me about Florence and I was honest, so he hit me. For trying to take you from him," she said, "I shouldn't have told him."  
Hannibal pulled her mouth to his before replying to her. "I'll handle this. It was not your fault. If he didn't want to know the truth, he shouldn't have asked."  
"No Hannibal, he'll only treat me worse if you do anything," she begged, shaking her head rapidly. "Please."  
"Like hell he will. If he's going to treat you like shit, I'm going to kick his ass. I don't care, no one treats my wife like that," he replied, "I'm sorry I let this happen to you. You must think I'm a really crappy husband now. Some protector of my love!"  
Bedelia felt tears come to her eyes. "I can deal with him Hannibal. Usually he only saus nasty things. This is the only time he's become physical."  
"Bedelia, I promise that he will never assault you again. Let me deal with him. I don't want you to get hurt again," he climbed off her bed before looking at her again. "And tonight, I'll be with you instead of him. I won't leave you alone at night until he smartens up his act."  
"Don't bother. It'll only make things worse Hannibal. Please, for once listen to me where Will Graham is concerned. He is dangerous. Telling him off will not help, we have to leave him," she pleaded softly.   
Hannibal walked to the door, calling back to her. "I'm going to make things better for you Bedelia. Trust me."  
"I always have, but never entirely," she whispered under her breath.   
He left the room and Bedelia went straight to her closet, pulling out the hidden bottle of vodka and glass that she didn't want Hannibal to know about. She knew he would fret endlessly if he knew how much hard liquor she was consuming. She poured some of the drink into the glass and drank the whole thing in one gulp, sighing once she swallowed it. She knew she shouldn't drink that much, but lately she had begun to blur the lines of her own limits when it came to alcohol. She continued drinking until she felt tired. She fell asleep only after she put her stash away and popped a few breath mints.

A few hours later, she awoke to a knock at the door. Her head hurt a little bit and she realized that she had fallen asleep on the floor, which had to be the reason for the headache. She didn't get hangovers. She pushed herself off the floor and popped another breath mint before she went to open the door. She was expecting it to be Hannibal who said he would spend the night with her. She unbuttoned the second and third buttons of her blouse and tossed her hair behind her shoulder. If Hannibal was staying with her that night, they would certainly be making love. There was no way they could refrain from doing so. She opened the door and before she could process that it was not Hannibal standing before her, she felt Will Graham's hands around her throat.   
"You dirty whore. You told Hannibal about what happened. You know I said that I would kill you. I'm not fucking taking your betrayal lightly. Hannibal shoupd have killed and cooked you ages ago. Try swallowing his cock to stay alive when I'm through with you," he growled.   
Bedelia whimpered and tried to struggle against him, but he was so much larger and his grip was cutting off her flow of oxygen.   
"He doesn't want you. How could he ever love an alcoholic, a drug addict. You disgust him. You and your body are too disgusting for him to cook and put in his mouth. He married you as a joke. How could Hannibal Lecter ever love you?" he sneered at her.    
Bedelia tried to shake her head as tears came to her eyes. She tried to speak, but her voice came out more as a breath. She wished she was wearing a pair of her heels, so that maybe she could step on his foot.   
She tried to tell him that she couldn't breath, but she couldn't. It wasn't long before everything went black.

When Bedelia opened her eyes, she felt herself breathing again. She realized that she was in the backseat of Hannibal's car, stretched out. She tried to make a noise but was still unable. She reached out to tap Hannibal's shoulder as he was the only one in the car.   
He turned his head slightly and smiled at her before pulling the car over to the side of the road.   
She looked at him with fear and wonder mixing in her eyes. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm making things better for you. You were right, and I didn't listen and you got hurt. I'm sorry. We're leaving Will forever. He's currently bleeding out, tied to his bed. I opened his scars."  
Bedelia smiled lightly and made a gesture to say that she wanted to sit in the front with him.   
"If you want to darling," he replied, "not to sway you, but I'd like that."  
Bedelia smiled and got out of the backseat and opened the door to sit in the front.   
Once she was seated beside her husband, he took her hand and her smile broadened. "If you're wondering, I packed as much of our stuff as I could. Promise me you won't hide alcohol from me anymore. There's no reason to, and the life where we kept secrets from one another is over. Now we can live out our fairytale, live happily ever after."  
He pressed a light kiss to her lips before drawing back and driving the car back out onto the road.   
Bedelia smiled softly to herself, their hands intertwined with each other. Things would get better for her and Hannibal, she knew it in her heart. 


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 294\. "I'm really drunk, please help me."

Hannibal sighed lightly as his mobile phone buzzed in his pocket. He was in the middle of a session with Will, and Bedelia was texting him. Often. He had set certain buzz patterns for the people he was closest two, and right now, Bedelia was frequently buzzing against his chest through his shirt and waistcoat.   
"Excuse me for a moment Will," he finally said, once the phone actually started ringing. "I just need to take this call."   
Will nodded and Hannibal got off his chair, leaving his office. Bedelia called again, and this time, he answered her.   
"Hannibal," she half-shouted, "is that you?"  
"Yes Doctor, what's the matter?" he asked, wondering why she was shouting.   
"You're not here. I need you here Hannibal, or nothing is right," she said, sounding as though she was pouting.   
"Bedelia, are you drunk?" he asked, finally sounding as concerned as he felt.   
Bedelia made a noise. "I'm really drunk, please help me."  
Hannibal sighed. "I'm in a session with Will."  
"But I need you right now," she pleaded.   
"I'll be there in half an hour. Don't drink anything else until I get there," he said.   
"Okay," she replied, "but hurry. Get rid of Will Grahamcracker. I want you more." She giggled and hung up the phone.   
Hannibal shut his eyes for a moment before he went back into his office.   
"Will, I'm sorry. I'm needed elsewhere right now, it's an emergency," Hannibal said.   
"Alright, I'll need to call you to let you know when I can come in again, okay?" he asked.   
"Of course. Shall we head out?"  
  
The two men left Hannibal's office, and after retrieving their jackets, they left his home.   
"Goodbye Dr Lecter," Will said, waving as he headed towards his car.   
"Goodbye Will," Hannibal said, climbing into his Bentley and preparing to hurry to Bedelia's place.   
  
In 12 minutes, he made it to her home. He was thankful he hadn't been pulled over for speeding. But if he had, he'd have claimed patient in immediate distress.   
He rang her doorbell and a moment later, she poked her head out of the door. "Hannibal," she said happily, sounding completely sober. "Come in."  
"I thought you were drunk," he said as he removed his jacket and hung it up, tracking her dressing gown clad form.   
"I am. Telling you I was drunk was a ruse," she replied, "I just needed to get you here. Away from Will Graham."  
"Why?" he asked.   
Bedelia turned around and dropped her dressing gown, revealing her body, clad in nothing more than black lingerie. "Does this make it more obvious that I want you?"  
Hannibal took a deep breath and refused to think as he quickly closed the gap between himself and Bedelia, crushing her mouth with his. Bedelia wrapped her arms around his neck.   
"I'll always leave Will Graham for you," he whispered.   
Bedelia smiled and lead him to her bedroom, and unknown to him, she opened her heart completely. Never to close it again to the man she loved.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bedannibal + "That's right, I lied." (for bedeliainwonderland)

Hannibal looked at his wife through the glass walls of his cell. "What did you tell them Bedelia?" he asked her.  
"At the trial?" she asked, getting a nod from her husband. "I told them a version of the events that occurred, leaving out certain points of course"  
"You lied to them?"  
"That's right, I lied. By omission, I lied. I wasn't going to tell them about everything that happened. I said that you persuaded me to do things, that I did what I did to survive. Those are lies, but I wasn't going to tell them about how much we love each other, or about our child. The only way that Emilie and I are going to be safe is if they don't know about her. Hannibal, Will Graham already hates me because of my relationship with you, wouldn't him finding out that we have a child only make that hatred worse? He'd come after us. Is that what you want?"  
Hannibal shook his head quickly. "If he tries anything, I'll kill him."  
"How? You're locked up in this hell-hole," she said as she walked closer to the wall of the cell. She pressed her hand and forehead against the glass and Hannibal did the same. Bedelia's voice lowered to a whisper as she said, "I will find a way to get you out of here. Emilie will not live her life without her father. I love you. No matter what they tell you, I love you. Never forget that. I'll teach Emilie to love you, but I want her to know you."  
Their heads and hands left the glass as Dr Chilton walked through the door. "Alright, Mrs Lecter, time to say goodbye to your beloved cannibal."  
"I'm still a doctor," she snapped in reply, taking one step back from the glass.  
"Of course you are. All great doctors sleep with their patients," he said, a small smirk gracing the features Bedelia liked at one point in time. Now, she just wanted to punch him.  
Bedelia pressed a kiss to her fingertips and touched the glass gently. "Goodbye Hannibal, I'll come and see you soon."  
"I'll be waiting for you my love," he replied, as Frederick led her out of the room.

Outside of the hospital, Bedelia came face to face with Will Graham and Jack Crawford. "Mrs Lecter, we're going to have to ask you to stay away from him."  
"Stay away from who?" she asked, confusion clouding her features.  
"Hannibal. You see, visiting him, it makes it seem like you weren't a victim after all. If you don't stay away from him, we'll take away your bastard child and lock you up, just like him, " Will said.  
"You can't do that," she said, shaking her head lightly, fear tearing her apart from the inside.  
"We can and we will. So stay away. Don't test us," Jack said.  
Bedelia walked past them and straight to her car. She wouldn't let them see the tears in her eyes.   
She couldn't let go. But she had to. For the sake of little Emilie, she had to give up on Hannibal. They knew about her, she was already in danger.   
Protecting Emilie, that was her number one concern. It had to be, no matter how much she loved Hannibal, his heiress had to be protected.   
Climbing into her car, she started it and drove away, finally letting the tears fall from her eyes.

She would never see the love of her life again. 


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jealous Bedelia (for bedelia-du-badass)

Bedelia sucked in a breath and stared at Hannibal's laptop. She couldn't believe him at all. Not two weeks ago, he had told her that he loved her and that he never wanted to be with anyone but her. Now, his search history was all romantic advice for getting women to like you, gift ideas to help a man charm women, etcetera. She felt like crying. Wasn't she enough for him? Was this to be her end? She shut the computer and put her head in her hands, trying to think.   
He had said that she could use his computer when he wasn't at home. Why would he do that if it would only reveal that he was cheating on her? Was he trying to subtly tell her that this was the end for her. That she would no longer have a life and was to be his next meal? She loved him, and she thought that he loved her. He had said so, and she'd never known him to be a liar.   
Would he be making such passionate love to his next meal like he was doing to her? Had he ever loved her? Who was this other woman, the one he wanted to charm and impress so much? What made her better than Bedelia Du Maurier?   
Bedelia stood up and walked to the mirror, opening her dressing gown and dropping it to the floor. She looked at herself and frowned. Was it the fact that she was losing weight? She thought she was still beautiful, but clearly Hannibal thought differently. She felt tears well up in her eyes as she walked closer to the mirror on the wall and began hitting it. Why wouldn't it tell her exactly what was wrong? She wanted and needed Hannibal in her life. She couldn't live without him. She wouldn't be allowed to live without him. She was made to be with Hannibal Lecter. It had taken her a long time to realize that fact, but when she did, her whole life changed.   
She was in love for the first time in her life, and now everything was gone from her life. She went to their bed, collapsed on it and began crying.

What was probably several hours later, she felt the bed shift as though someone was sitting down on it. She opened her eyes, realizing that she must have fallen asleep as she cried. She looked up and saw Hannibal looking down at her. She sat up and glared at him, not caring that she probably looked like a mess.   
"Bedelia darling, what's wrong?" he asked.  
"What's wrong? I think you know, you dirty rotten cheat," she replied, "go on, tell me. Who the fuck is she?"  
Hannibal was taken aback by her vulgarity. He rarely heard Bedelia swear, and when he did, it was in vulgar situations that they both enjoyed. He tried to not think about those times, they made him want her far too much. "Who is who?" he finally asked.  
"The bitch you're cheating on me with," Bedelia said with a small sniffle.  
"What?"  
"The one you want to charm and the one you want to like you. The one you're shopping for gifts for. Didn't you think I'd find out when you said I could use your computer? Of course not, you're just the same as all those other men. You don't care about a woman's feelings," she sobbed before burying her face in her pillow.  
Hannibal furrowed his brow. Why did she think he was cheating on her? Didn't she know that he could never find anyone that even came close to comparing to her? Bedelia Du Maurier was an angel, and all he ever wanted to do was impress her and make her happy. He shifted so that he could put his arm around her and whisper into her ear. "Bedelia my love. I only want to charm you into liking me. I only want to buy gifts for you. Don't you see that? You're the most beautiful and amazing woman ever. How could any man wish to try and replace you."  
Bedelia lifted her head and turned it to look into his eyes, seeing that he was being completely honest with her. "Really?" she asked, a small smile forming on her face.  
Hannibal nodded. "I actually received a few of the gifts I purchased online today. I had them sent to the Palazzo because I didn't want to risk you finding out about them before I wanted to give them to you. Please, I beg you to trust me in the future. I will never betray you by cheating on you. Don't be jealous of anyone, it's silly for someone like you. Especially when you're getting jealous of yourself."  
Bedelia laughed softly and threw her arms around Hannibal's neck. "I didn't think you were lying when you said that you loved me."  
"I'll never lie to you. I may tell half-truths, but when I tell you of my love, that is nothing but the complete truth." Hannibal reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. Opening it, he spoke again. "Bedelia, I love you. I want to be with you until the last breath leaves my body. Will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"  
Bedelia pressed a kiss to Hannibal's cheek. "Are you sure you want to be my husband?"  
"I never want to lose you."  
"I never want to think of losing you. It hurts to much. Of course I'll marry you."  
Hannibal pulled Bedelia's mouth to his and kissed her with all the passion in his body before he made love to his new fiancee. He would make sure that she was never jealous again. He only wanted everyone else to burn with jealousy at the sight of them.


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ·Send me a "Hold" and I'll write a drabble about one character just wanting to hug the other

Bedelia lay on the bed, arms wrapped around herself. She knew it was silly and childish to pout, but she was intoxicated and couldn't care less about any of it. She wanted Hannibal to be the one holding her, but he was still working at the Capponi. She wanted him to be home with her all the time. She knew it was selfish, but she couldn't help it.   
Back in Baltimore, she was used to being alone and at home all the time ever since her attack. But in Florence, she enjoyed going out where no one at all knew her by her real name. She wanted to be around people more. She needed and wanted to be with Hannibal.   
She shut her eyes and fell asleep after a few moments.

Before she knew it, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She woke up and rolled over to see Hannibal. "Hi Hannibal," she said quietly.   
"What's the matter Bedelia? Are you alright?" he asked.  
Bedelia shrugged. "I just want to be held right now. Namely by you, Hannibal."  
Hannibal lay down on the bed. "Well, I've been wanting to hold you all day. It's the only thing that stopped me from killing everyone in the Capponi, since it would have gotten me locked up, keeping me from you."  
Bedelia smiled and whispered, "I don't want you to get locked up either Hannibal."  
"I'm glad of that, Bedelia," he replied, wrapping his arms around her from behind.   
Bedelia smiled and fell back asleep, happy this time. Happier than she had been all day. She never wanted Hannibal to let go.


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Someone so attractive on the outside has no business being vile on the inside, but sometimes that's how it is."  
> via @witterprompts (tumblr)

Bedelia sat in the interrogation room, looking down at her hands. She didn't want to be there, but if she hadn't shown up, the FBI would have gone to her home and she'd be questioned either way. She knew exactly what they wanted to question her about, it was the same every time. Hannibal. She hated how everyone thought of him, and how they would expect her to agree with them, though her feelings were quite the opposite.   
No, Hannibal was not an innocent man, or the best man in the world, but she still loved him with all her heart. They were meant to be together, even though they brought out the worst in each other. They protected one another and that was what mattered to them.   
Finally, the door opened and Will Graham, accompanied by Jack Crawford, walked into the room. Bedelia felt her rage bubbling up inside her as she looked up at them. It was their fault that her husband had been captured, their fault that she and Hannibal weren't together. She hated them more than she had ever hated anyone.   
"Good morning Bedelia," Will sneered, dropping the folder he was holding onto the table. "Or would you prefer if we called you Mrs Fell?"  
Bedelia shrugged. "I don't care what you call me. I won't help you prosecute my husband," she replied, raising an eyebrow at him.  
"Who said we wanted your help?" he asked.  
"I know more about his activities in Europe than anyone, except for Hannibal himself. I doubt he told you anything, you're nothing more than a toy to him," she replied.  
"And if I'm a toy, what does that make you?"  
"His wife," she said, smiling lightly.   
"Your marriage wasn't real," he said, a smile growing on his face. "He killed a married couple and the two of you took their identities."  
Bedelia shook her head. "You must be really stupid to believe that Hannibal and I wouldn't cover our backs. He knew that one day you would catch up to him, and when that time came, it needed to be impossible for you to force our hands. I think you'll find that neither of us will have anything to say about the charges against the other. And you can't force us to."  
"Spousal privilege only works if the couple was actually married," Will said, "you have nothing saying that Bedelia Du Maurier and Hannibal Lecter were married. You won't get away with it. We can, and will, make you testify against him."  
Bedelia smirked lightly and put her purse on the table. "I though that might come up. Like I said, Hannibal and I are not fools." She reached inside her bag and pulled out their marriage certificate and pushed it across the table to the man.   
Will picked it up from the table and looked at it in shock. Sure enough, the two had wed in Paris a week after they had fled the country together. He looked back at Bedelia whose face was shining with self-satisfaction. He asked the only question left in his mind. "Was your marriage consummated?"  
Bedelia nodded. "It was. And that wasn't the only time."  
Will's jaw dropped. "You let that monster touch you? Just to seal the deal that neither of you would blab once you were caught."  
"I let him touch me very often. As much as we wanted," she replied.   
"You disgust me Bedelia," Will said, "how could you do that? He may be handsome, but he's a monster."  
"Someone so attractive on the outside has no business being vile on the inside, but sometimes that's how it is," she said. "He was good to me. That's what mattered. Yes, he's a monster to many. But to me, he's the man who saved me from myself."  
"You don't really believe that? Have you been brainwashed?" he asked. "You're trying to convince us that you're not a fool, but clearly you are."  
Bedelia shook her head. "I haven't been brainwashed, I've only been in love. I still am. Am I free to go?"  
Will looked to Jack who nodded. Turning back to Bedelia, he nodded. "Just get out of here. Don't leave the country though. Don't go too far away. You won't want to miss your husband's trial."  
"I won't," she said with a smile. She stood up and snatched the marriage certificate back and placed it in her purse.   
Will Graham's eyes were trained on her abdomen. "You're pregnant?" he asked, his voice cracking.  
Bedelia smiled again and nodded before picking up her purse and leaving the interrogation room.   
Once she had left, Will and Jack turned to each other. "Do you think Lecter knows?" Jack asked.  
Will nodded. "Look how devoted she is to him, why would she keep their child a secret. I bet it's only made him more protective of her."  
"And a protective husband is dangerous. Perhaps it would be in our best interest to leave her alone," Jack suggested.  
"Or aggitate him further by continuing to bring her in. He can't do anything while he's at BSHCI, can he?"  
"One day, he'll escape. And he'll be successful. We don't want to give him more reason to come after us when he does," Jack said, "so, we leave her be."


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ·Send me a "Kiss" and I'll write a drabble about their first kiss
> 
> This Bedelia is much more flirtatious, but she's also a lot younger, so since we didn't know her them, it's fair to say that she may have been more open in her youth.

Bedelia sat across from Hannibal in the library. She had her elbow's resting on the table and her head in her hands. She couldn't take her eyes off of the older student who was deep in his textbook studying. She knew that he really didn't need to be reading the textbook to study, he had them all memorized in his memory palace, but it looked strange if he didn't have something open when he claimed to be studying.   
She herself should have been studying anatomy, but right now she was studying something much more interesting than the book at her elbows could offer her. And technically, gazing at Hannibal was studying anatomy.   
Hannibal looked up at her with raised eyebrows. "Are you okay Bedelia?"  
Bedelia nodded. "Just studying."  
Hannibal smiled lightly, making Bedelia's heart flutter. "What are you studying?"  
"Anatomy," she replied with a light blush on her cheeks. She pointed to the textbook and Hannibal chuckled.   
Bedelia moved her chair closer to his and rested her head on his shoulder. "What are you studying Hannibal?"  
"Pharmaceuticals," he replied, "though I feel like you want to distract me."  
"What if I did?" Bedelia asked, her curiosity rising. She knew it was wrong to flirt with her tutor, but she liked him more than she liked most people that she met. He understood her, encouraged her, and saw her as more than just a beautiful woman. He treated her like a friend and an equal.   
"Well since I know how stubborn you are, I know you won't quit until you have successfully distracted me, so I'd let you," he said, putting his book down and turning to face her. "What is it that you want?"  
Bedelia bit her lip. "I'd really like for you to kiss me," she half-whispered.   
Hannibal cleared his throat. "Bedelia, I am your tutor and your study buddy. Isn't that a little bit innapropriate?"  
"It's very innapropriate, especially since you were assigned to help me, and my father will lose what little cool he has if he ever finds out," she replied, "but I'm willing to take the risk. If he finds out, I'll say I asked you to kiss me."  
Hannibal sighed and thought for a moment. Yes, he wanted to kiss her. But he also wanted to go further and be in a relationship with her. Was that what she really wanted? He didn't want to kiss her and not ever see her again, he wouldn't be able to cope. He liked her and her friendship, he didn't want to lose that. If he didn't kiss her, he still might lose her.   
"Bedelia, what do you want from me after a kiss?" he asked.  
Bedelia blushed. "Whatever we decide to do. I won't say no to a relationship, or just sex. The only thing I don't want is to lose my best friend."  
Hannibal leaned forward, slipped his hand into her long, blonde hair and pressed his lips to hers. Bedelia's hands tangled themselves in his hair and she held him to her. Hannibal's lips were softer than Bedelia would ever have imagined any man's would be. When they broke apart, they both lingered for a moment.  
"You'll never lose me Bedelia," he whispered, moving his hand to stroke her cheek gently.  
Bedelia smiled and looked into Hannibal's eyes. "And you'll never lose me."


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ·Send me a "Stay" and I'll write a drabble about one character making the other promise that they will stay with them

Hannibal awoke to the sound of sobbing from the other side of the bed. He turned over onto his other side and moved closer to his wife. He put an arm around her and pressed a gentle kiss to her shoulder, worrying as she tensed up in his arms.  
"Bedelia, what's wrong?" he asked quietly, his lips against her soft skin. "Darling, please tell me."  
Bedelia reached up to wipe at her eyes. "I hate being second best. I hate being a means to an end for you. I just hate it. Leave me alone. I might as well get used to not having you around," she sobbed, hating herself for being so weak.  
Hannibal felt his heart sink. It was his fualt that his lovely wife was in tears. Even after all that had happened betweenthem there in Florence, she still thought he would leave her once Will came along. It was his fault, his actions had caused that.  
"Delia, beautiful, I'm sorry," he whispered, "I'm sorry that you're crying because of me. Please, stop."  
Bedelia turned onto her back and continued wiping at her yes. "You're right, I'm sorry. I should just let you do whatever you want and not show any signs of upset or anything but support for your actions," she said, refusing to look at him. "After all, that's why you brought me along, isn't it? To play the dim, devoted wife?"  
Hannibal touched her face gently. "Bedelia, I'm not going to leave you for Will. I was foolish. I want to stay with you. He's still alive, and yes I want him to find us, and then I want us to finish what I started. I want us to kill him together. Will Grahan cannot be allowed to go on. He is the only person that is a threat to what you and I have," he whispered softly into her hair.  
"You're just saying that so I'll stay with you," she muttered. She wanted to believe it, but the sheer fact that she knew him and how he could persuade her to do what he wanted so well refused to let her believe in him or what he had just said. "You'll need to promise me that you'll stay with me, no matter what happens."  
"Bedelia, I don't lie. I may tell half truths, but I don't lie. Please believe me. You are the only person I could ever really be with. You are my life Bedelia. No matter what happens, I will always be with you. I promise," he whispered. "Will could beg for me his entire life, but he could never compare to you."  
Bedelia shook her head. "If you're lying to me, and you leave me for him, I will end you."  
"I'd expect no less, my darling," he replied, tightening his hold on her and pressing his lips to her neck.  
Bedelia smiled lightly and turned her head, pressing her lips to his.

She never had to destroy him, and it made her the happiest woman alive. Hannibal Lecter had chosen her above all others. Forever.


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bedannibal + "This is mine. Are we clear?" requested by anon on tumblr

Hannibal climbed on top of his new wife, looking down at her lovingly, his hunger for her evident in his eyes. Bedelia touched his chest lightly, raking her eyes over him, her heart racing. She was in danger and it was the best feeling she had ever had. She knew that Hannibal would, in the end, likely kill her and feast on her the way he had always wanted to, but it would not be that night. Tonight, they would feast on each other in a completely different way.   
She wanted to push her luck further, wanted more of the thrill of the danger. "This is mine, Hannibal. Are we clear?" she asked.  
"What's yours Bedelia dearest?" he asked, leaning down and biting her neck gently.  
Bedelia smiled, her hands finding her way into his hair and tugging. Hannibal's head snapped back up. "All of you," she replied, "you belong to me now, me and no one else."  
Hannibal nodded, reaching up and taking her left hand in his, and bringing it between them. He nodded to her ring and smiled at her. "We belong to each other. Nothing will ever take us away from each other."  
Bedelia felt tears come to her eyes. "Do you promise?"  
Hannibal nodded. "I love you. I was wrong to trust everyone else, they've all let me down. You know more of my crimes than all of them do, and you didn't give me away to Jack Crawford. You could have done."  
Bedelia smiled. "I like danger, but I'm not looking for death quite yet."  
"I won't hurt you, Bedelia. If anything I want to protect you," he replied, stroking her cheek with his unoccupied hand. "You are mine, and I am yours. Everyone else can be wiped off the face of the earth, but as long as I have you, I will have reason to live."  
Bedelia leaned forward and pressed her lips to Hannibal's. She knew now that he had no intention of trying to leave. Little did he know that if he tried, she was ready with a plot to bring him back.  
  



	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bedannibal + "I'm not gonna stop leaving marks till I'm sure everyone will know you're mine." requested by anon on tumblr

Bedelia lay on her side as Hannibal wrapped his arms around her from behind. He kissed her shoulder and smelled her skin. She moaned lightly, his kisses were sending electric shocks through her body.   
"You like that?" he asked, stroking her hip with his hand, pulling her body closer to his and beginning to nip at her skin.   
"Of course I do, but try to not leave so many marks. We have that party to go to tomorrow night and I don't want to have to use makeup to cover them," she replied, turning her head slightly.  
Hannibal growled lightly and pressed his lips to hers. "Then don't use makeup."  
"Hannibal, I can't have people seeing those marks. If they know anything, they'll know exactly how I got them. Position and everything," she said nervously, pressing a brief kiss to his lips.  
"I'm not going to stop leaving marks till I'm sure everyone knows that you're mine," he replied, "and why does it matter if people know how we do it?"  
"They might get ideas about us, I don't want them to know," she whispered.  
Hannibal pressed his mouth to hers roughly and held her to him. Pulling away, he growled slightly. "If anyone dares to think about taking my wife from me, they won't live long enough to try."  
Bedelia smiled and bit his bottom lip. "Leave as many marks as you desire darling, show them I'm yours."  
"Only if you do the same on me," he whispered.   
Bedelia chuckled and nodded. "Of course my love."


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bedannibal + "Your lips make me wonder what the rest of you would taste like..." 
> 
> References to two different kinds of eating

Bedelia stood in front of her client, or ex-client now she supposed. He was looking at her with hunger in his eyes, and she was pleasantly terrified. Yes, he was dangerous, and she had her assumptions as to what saying that to his face would cause. She hoped that it would make him lash out. She trusted his rage to be controlled, better than the uncontrolled rage that she had experienced at Neal's hands. She internally shuddered at the memory of his rage and the memory of what she had done.

Hannibal's hands found their way to her hips and he pulled her closer to him. Bedelia gasped as he leaned down and gently pressed a kiss to her lips. This was not what she had expected. She had expected something at the other end of the spectrum from him. He held her tightly, she was sure that he would leave marks on her hips. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him closer.

Bedelia had no idea what she was doing, or how it would play out for her. She was embracing a dangerous man rather intimately, and she was enjoying it. Hannibal broke the kiss and bit her cheek gently. Wincing, she looked into his eyes which were filled with a mix of arousal, hunger, and anger.

"You're not going to stop being my psychiatrist Dr Du Maurier," he growled into her ear.

Bedelia shivered and nodded. "I think I am."

Hannnibal shook his head. "You know I won't let you do that."

"Who said I needed your permission?"

"No one, but I know that you're only disagreeing with me so that I will lash out at you," he replied, smiling and biting her earlobe.

"How do you know that?" she asked, leaning her face against his.

"I know you, Dr Du Maurier. You like danger, much more than you ought to. You enjoy it."

Bedelia smiled to herself. He really did know her as well as he thought he did. "Well how do you feel about that?"

"How do I feel about the fact that you're enjoying me right now because you think I'm dangerous?" he asked, receiving a nod from her. "Well, I suppose I enjoy it just as much as you do. And your lips are making me wonder what the rest of you is going to taste like."

Bedelia felt herself getting warmer. She knew all about him and his strange choices when it came to food. Was he going to eat her or did he mean it in another way? Either way, Bedelia didn't think she'd mind.

"Well, you've bitten my cheek and my earlobe."

"I wonder how you're going to taste in another way Bedelia," he replied, pulling her closer.

"I suppose it would depend on what seasoning you used," she whispered, biting his earlobe lightly, hoping to arouse him further.

"I don't mean to eat you Bedelia," he whispered. "Not yet. Though I may have to, since you know my little secret. I mean to _eat_ you."

Bedelia felt her cheeks getting red. "Right now?"

Hannibal nodded. "Of course I mean right now. I don't want you to run away on me."

Bedelia laughed lightly. "Well, are we going to go to your bedroom?"

Hannibal moved back and took her hand in his, nodding. "I won't be having you on my table until it is time to eat you in that way."

Bedelia shook her head and allowed Hannibal to lead the way.

 


	35. Chapter 35

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> requested by: tumblr's this-is-madsness. via tumblr's promptsblog  
> Bedannibal featuring Chiyoh and Vivienne

Hannibal sat by Bedelia's side, gazing at her intently. He didn't want to sleep, he didn't want to look away. He couldn't do those things, or the worst might happen.

"Are you going to watch her sleep every night?" Chiyoh asked from the doorway. Hannibal didn't look up at her as she leaned on the frame. "Hannibal, please look at me."

Hannibal glanced up before looking back down at Bedelia. "Yes, I am. I'm afraid."

"What are you afraid of Hannibal?" Chiyoh asked, "I'm fairly certain that you don't need to be. That _friend_ of yours is gone. He can't hurt her again."

"I'm afraid that if I take my eyes off of her, she'll disappear again. I can't... I can't go through that a second time," Hannibal said, reaching out and taking Bedelia's hand.

Together, he and Chiyoh had renewed her health after Will had taken her and, basically, tortured her. Thankfully, their daughter was safe, otherwise Hannibal would have done worse to Will than he had. Their little Vivienne was safe in the corner of the room in her crib. Hannibal refused to be in a different room from her and Bedelia.

Chiyoh sighed. "Look Hannibal. I know that you can't go through that again. But if she's got any hope of living a normal life again, you have to give her some breathing room."

Hannibal shook his head. "I don't want her to have a normal life. She had a normal life before all of this, before Neal, and I was nothing to her except a colleague and a patient. When all that changed, it was amazing, she paid attention to me. Probably because I was the only patient that ignored her retirement."

Chiyoh shook her head and walked into the room. "Do you want to hold Vivienne?"

Hannibal nodded and Chiyoh walked to the crib, picking up her goddaughter and bringing the baby to her father. Hannibal took his daughter into his arms.

"You and your mama aren't going to disappear from my life ever again. I will keep you safe, no matter what I have to do."

On the bed, Bedelia stirred and opened her eyes slightly to see Hannibal sitting at her side, holding her hand and holding Vivienne in his other arm. She smiled lightly.

"Hello my love," Hannibal whispered with a small smile.

"Hi darling. Have you slept?" she asked, tiredness clouding her voice. "Vivienne hasn't been keeping you up, has she?"

Hannibal shook his head. "No, she's a little darling."

"He hasn't slept. Not since you arrived Bedelia," Chiyoh said from the other side of the bed.

Bedelia turned to look at her before turning back to Hannibal. "Hannibal, you need to sleep."

He shook his head. "I don't want to take my eyes off of you and Vivienne. If I do, you're both in danger."

Bedelia shook her head lightly. "No Hannibal. No one will find us. Not ever again. Vivienne and I are safe, and you need to sleep. If it will make you feel better, we can bring Vivienne's crib to my side of the bed and you can hold me while we sleep."

Hannibal thought for a moment, looking at Bedelia and Chiyoh, both of them evidently concerned for him, before he nodded his head. Bedelia asked Chiyoh to help Hannibal with the crib, while she took Vivienne from Hannibal's arms.

Once it was moved, Hannibal put the still sleeping Vivienne back into her crib before climbing into bed on the other side, wrapping his arms around Bedelia.

Chiyoh smiled and turned off their light and shut the door as she exited the room. Maybe they wouldn't have a normal life, but she had no doubt that they would be happy with their little girl. And if anyone tried to hurt them, she would kill them herself.

 


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 132\. "You never told me you had a fucking twin."   
> In which Stella and Bedelia are twins
> 
> So, someone on tumblr (probably this-is-madsness or bedelia-du-badass) wanted something where Stella and Bedelia are twins. I'll probably do more with this later.

"I have a place where we can lie low for a little while," Bedelia said, trying to calm Hannibal down. They could only book plane tickets to Paris if they had a 2 day layover in London.   
Hannibal furrowed his brow and nodded. Of course he trusted her, she was the only one who hadn't come after him. He got the tickets and the two of them went to sit down together. Neither of them had anything more than their carryon bags. It was safest. They could always purchase anything else they needed in London, Paris, or their final destination of Florence.  
"Perhaps this is the safest. The FBI, if they're smart, they're going to think that you've used a fake passport. But they'll be expecting you to fly direct to Paris, right?" she asked.  
Hannibal nodded. "Where is this place that you mentioned?"   
"In London. I'll explain more when we arrive," she said, placing her hand on top of his.

It felt like the trip to London took forever. When they finally left Heathrow, Bedelia pulled out her phone and made a telephone call while Hannibal hailed a cab.   
As Bedelia spoke, he heard half of the conversation. "Thank you Stella... it means a lot... we'll only be there until our flight... don't worry, we won't leave a mess... I owe you one... yeah, we'll skype you when we arrive... I'd be surprised if he didn't recognize me." She laughed and thanked the woman she was talking to before hanging up. "Told you I had a place for us."  
"Who is Stella?" he asked, "can she be trusted?"  
"Of course she can. She's in law enforcement, but if I tell her that you can be trusted, she'll trust you. She trusts my judgement," Bedelia explained.  
"If you're sure," he said. Bedelia nodded and placed her hand over his. Hannibal allowed the cabbie to take their bags and place them in the boot. Bedelia gave him the address and off they went.   
Hannibal didn't like not knowing where he was going or what was going on.   
After about 20 minutes, the cab stopped at a very upscale apartment building and Bedelia thanked the cabbie, giving him the money she'd had exchanged at the airport. He retrieved their bags from the boot and handed them to Hannibal and Bedelia who thanked him again.   
Bedelia led him to the doorman. "Ah, Miss Stella. You've returned."  
Bedelia shook her head. "She's still in Belfast, I'm her sister Bedelia. She said she'd text you and give you permission to let us into her flat. We'll be staying for a couple of days."  
The doorman pulled his phone from his pocket and nodded after a moment. "Of course Miss Bedelia, you and your companion are most welcome. If there is anything you need, please let me know," he said as he opened the door and led them to the lift.  
On the way upstairs, the doorman and Bedelia discussed Stella. Hannibal didn't know that Bedelia had a sister. He barely knew her at all. Interesting how he could trust someone he knew nothing about.   
When they reached the floor where Stella lived, the door slid open and the three of them stepped out. The doorman led them to her flat and opened the door for him. "Like I said Miss Bedelia, Sir, if you need anything, please let me know."  
The pair nodded and entered the flat, turning a light on. Bedelia smiled. Yes, her twin's flat was exactly as she would have expected. She took Hannibal's hand and together they went on a brief tour to figure out where everything was.   
"There's only one bedroom," Bedelia said, "but if we're going to pretend we're married, we may want to get used to sharing a bed."  
Hannibal nodded as they put their bags down in the bedroom before going back out to Stella's living room. Bedelia turned on her sister's computer, and after it had loaded, she opened skype. Soon her sister's image appeared on the screen and Hannibal's jaw dropped. They were identical to one another. "You didn't tell me she was your twin!" he exclaimed.  
On the screen, Stella smiled. "The doorman got us confused, didn't he? You should have known then."  
Bedelia nodded. "Stella, this is Hannibal. Hannibal, this is my twin sister Stella."  
Hannibal smiled lightly. "Thank you for the use of your flat."  
Stella smiled again. "You're welcome. Just take this as a word of warning. My sister is very kind and gentle. I love her more than I love anyone else in this world. If you hurt her, I'm trained with a gun and have 98% accuracy. Your odds won't be good."  
Hannibal nodded. "I trust your sister and I am also quite protective of her."  
"I'm glad to hear it. You two be good and let me know if you need anything or if you have any problems. Sorry that I'm not back from Belfast yet, otherwise I'd be able to meet your man Bedelia," she said.  
Bedelia shook her head. "No, he's just a colleague. A friend. My patient."  
Stella laughed. "Have fun maintaining that. Good luck Bedelia. I'm going to bed."  
Bedelia nodded and said goodnight to her twin. Hannibal waved and Stella nodded to him before ending the call.  
"You never told me you had a fucking twin Bedelia!" Hannibal exclaimed again.  
"We never really talked about me, did we? I know so much about you, but you know nothing about me," she replied.  
Hannibal shook his head and silently vowed that during their time in Europe, he would get to know her better. As well as she knew him: personally and, if all went to plan, intimately.


	37. Chapter 37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Apart from being sexy, what do you do for a living?”

Hannibal hated it when he saw those who deserved respect not being given it, especially when it was someone that he genuinely cared about.  
His new colleague, Bedelia Du Maurier, had been flirted at all evening. Yes, she was new to Baltimore, having moved, rather recently to the area, but all the men in the room were behaving as though she was there for them and not for her work.   
Usually, Hannibal found his other colleagues to be rather polite and perceptive, but tonight, they were the complete opposite. He wouldn't mind his other colleagues flirting with Dr Du Maurier if she even appeared to be enjoying their advances.   
Clearly none of them knew who she was or what she did, because they had been asking her questions that would be considered innappropriate.

Finally, he snapped when he heard the words, "apart from being sexy, what do you do for a living?" come from the lips of Dr Frederick Chilton.   
He walked up to the group of men who had surrounded Dr Du Maurier. "Can you all please stop? Don't you know who this woman is?"  
At the sight of all their heads shaking, Hannibal sighed and gestured for Dr Du Maurier to speak.   
She smiled lightly and nodded. "I'm Dr Bedelia Du Maurier, I'm new to the staff at Port Haven Psychiatric Hospital," she said quietly with an unimpressed tone to her voice.  
As their jaws dropped, Hannibal chuckled. "And if any of you had given her a chance to speak instead of flirting at her, I'm sure that's what she would have told you. Now Doctor, would it be too forward of me to ask if I can get you a drink?"  
Bedelia shook her head and took the arm that he offered.

As they walked away from the group, Bedelia turned her head to him. "Thank you for that. They weren't that bad in the beginning, but it got worse as they continued talking."  
Hannibal nodded. "I feel protective of you already. If it's not too much of an imposition, I'd like to introduce you to another psychiatrist friend of mine at a later date. She's only just got her license, and I think perhaps she could provide you with female company in our small community."  
Bedelia smiled lightly. "I'd like that very much."  
"I feel protective of her, and I think I'm on my way to being very protective with you as well," Hannibal explained.  
"I wouldn't mind that at all," she replied, "sometimes we all need someone to be looking out for us."  
Hannibal smiled. He would certainly look out for her, but perhaps not do everything that was in her best interest. He liked her, but she would still need to be tested.


	38. We'll Never Be Royals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: "As long as you keep treating my like a queen, I'll treat you like a king."  
> Chapter title taken from Lorde's song 'Royals'

Hannibal led Bedelia into his childhood home. “I know it needs work, but I thought once that’s done, we can move in,” he said, “but in the end, it’s just as much your decision as it is mine.”

Bedelia smiled. “No one has lived here for quite some time I presume.”

Hannibal shook his head. “The Red Army... the communist regime... it changed Lithuania. My memories of this place are so mixed. Good and bad. I want to make more good ones with you.” He wrapped his arms around Bedelia.

“We can make that happen Hannibal. Whatever it takes,” she replied, leaning back into his arms.

“We’re nobility, I think I’ve already told you that,” he whispered into her ear.

Bedelia smiled. “As long as you keep treating me like your queen, I’ll treat you like my king, Hannibal. Will Graham can be our jester. But our status doesn’t matter to me.”

Hannibal laughed. “I know now that I was right to choose you. Will would not have fit into this lifestyle very well.”

Bedelia scoffed. “No peasant ever fits in well with a noble lifestyle. We’re the same, and Will Graham could never hope to understand us.”

Hannibal nodded. “So, my queen, what shall we do? Tour and discuss the work to be done, or would you rather retire to the master bedroom and receive royal treatment from your loving husband?”

Bedelia smiled and pulled him towards her with his tie, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips before whispering against them. “Show me to our bed chamber and show me what royal treatment entails in Lithuania.”

“As you command,” he whispered, picking her up and carrying her up the staircase.

He was home, and he was ready to make it home once again, this time with his beautiful wife at his side.


	39. Taste

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: "Is that all your mouth is good for?"

Bedelia watched Hannibal as he sat, eating his latest victim. She took a sip of wine and swallowed it.

“Tell me Hannibal, is that all your mouth is good for?” she asked.

Hannibal’s fork paused on its way to his mouth. “Bedelia, I don’t believe this is appropriate d inner talk,” he scolded her lightly.

Bedelia cracked a small smirk. “No, not exactly, but you didn’t answer my question.”

“And I shan’t until dinner is finished,” he replied, continuing his meal.

Once the two of them had finished eating, Hannibal did the dishes as Bedelia sat on the breakfast island watching him. After he finished, he took her hand and led her to the piano, sitting down on the bench.

He began to play a melody he had composed for Bedelia, but even his playing couldn’t distract her. After a few moments, she lightly cleared her throat.

“Yes Bedelia,” he prompted her.

“You still haven’t answered my question Hannibal. Which, if you think about it, is quite rude,” she said, taking another sip of wine.

Hannibal chuckled. “Not once since we left Baltimore have you been curious about such matters, until now. What happened to cause this change?”

“Curiosity,” Bedelia replied with a small shrug, “now, I want answers Hannibal, and I won’t stop until I get some.” She leaned towards his ear, whispering the last part gently, arousing him and making him shiver with delight.

“Would you like me to show you? Or just tell you?” he asked.

“Either way, you’re going to be proving it to me, so why not just jump to the proof?” she suggested.

Hannibal stood up and lifted Bedelia into his arms, carrying her to the bedroom. He began undressing the two of them before kissing her lips and moving downwards. Just as he was about to reach her centre, he looked up into her lust blown eyes to ensure that it was what she really wanted. At her nod, he whispered, “as you command, my lady,” before putting his mouth where she wanted it most. Bedelia smiled as he pleasured her. His mouth was just as talented as she had thought.


	40. Frozen in Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When you meet someone and your whole world freezes in time.

Bedelia was beginning to despise parties more and more as her parents continued to force her attendance despite her having become an adult and moved out to begin university. It was a condition of her father’s that would only mean one good thing for her: him continuing to pay for her education. So there she was, still certain that she wasn’t going to meet a man, like they wanted her to, as she sipped a glass of wine.

She had recently turned 19 and was using the party as a way of getting free wine. She had to do something until eleven o’clock came and she could finally leave.

She sighed and looked around the room to try and find someone to pretend to talk to that at the very least was bearable to be around.

Suddenly, a young man on the other side of the room caught her eye, making her freeze. The world froze as well as she stood transfixed on him, as she had never been with anyone else. He was perfect, everything she was looking for, she was sure of it.

He turned his head and smiled at her, making her heart flutter.

Bedelia began to panic as he concluded his conversation and began to make his way over to her.

“Bonjour, madamoiselle. Je m’appelle Hannibal Lecter. Et vous?” he asked.

Bedelia swallowed. “Bedelia Du Maurier,” she replied. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Monsieur Lecter.”

Hannibal held out his hand, which Bedelia took. “Please, call me Hannibal. You are very beautiful Madamoiselle.”

“Thank you Hannibal. Please, call me Bedelia. You’re quite handsome yourself, where’s your family from?” she asked.

“Lithuania. But when my family passed away, I came to live with my uncle in Paris. It’s a beautiful city. What about you Bedelia?” he asked, Bedelia enjoying the sound of her name on his tongue.

“I was born in the United States, but my family is French. I’m here for university,” she explained.

“I see,” he said, “what are you studying?”

Bedelia smiled. “Medicine, but I hope to go into psychiatry.”

Hannibal smiled. “I’m just about to officially become a doctor. I only have a month left of my residency. I want to be a surgeon, but if I had to choose something else, psychiatry would be it.”

Bedelia nodded and noticed her mother and father, watching her and making her groan.

“Hannibal, I’m sorry to ask you this, but my parents are staring at me. They expect me to find a man and marry rich. I’m not suggesting that we do so, but it would make my life so much easier if we spent time together as friends. Maybe you can tutor me or something? I’m really not interested in marrying while I’m still in school, but they don’t seem to understand that,” she explained.

Hannibal smiled. “I would be honoured to cook for you and tutor you, since you’re offering an opportunity for friendship,” he suggested. “I completely understand your priorities, have no fear. You are very good at making intelligent conversation and I would be thrilled to call you a friend. Does next Saturday evening work with your schedule?”

Bedelia nodded. “Thank you so much.”

“It’s no problem, Bedelia.” He pulled his card out of his pocket. “My home address. Is six o’clock alright?”

Bedelia nodded again.

“Then I shall see you then. Don’t forget your textbooks,” Hannibal said, taking her hand and kissing it before disappearing with a smile.


	41. Hot Mess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Server/Food Critic AU.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was not my favourite to write. At all.

Bedelia panicked as she saw the famous food critic Hannibal Lecter walk into the small Baltimore restaurant she worked in as a part time server. She had been there a few months, and was trying to pay her way through school. She was completely unprepared for a food critic of Hannibal’s calibre, especially as she introduced herself and stood by his table, taking his order, writing it down as she smiled at him. If he gave the restaurant a bad review, the owner, Mason Verger, would surely blame her and fire her for it.

When she went back to the kitchen to give the chefs the order, the sous-chef, Franklin, asked her why her hands were shaking.

“This is for Hannibal Lecter, the food critic. Please make sure that it’s perfect,” she siad nervously.

Franklin smiled and nodded. “No need to worry, I’ll make sure the others know. Have some water.”

Bedelia smiled and nodded, pouring herself a quick glass of water before grabbing the bottle of wine that Hannibal had ordered as well as a glass. She opened the bottle and placed the stopper in it before bringing it out to him. She smiled brightly as she placed the bottle and glass on the table. “There you are, Sir,” she said, “your food will be ready soon. If you need anything else, I’m here to help.”

“Thank you Bedelia,” he said kindly, pouring a glass of wine.

Bedelia gave him another smile before leaving. She was beyond nervous about Hannibal Lecter and wanted him to think she was a good server. She finished her glass of water, keeping an eye out for patrons entering the restuarant.

When his food was ready, Bedelia brought it out to him, trying to keep her pace steady. She was nearly there when she tripped over her own foot and the food landed on Mr Lecter.

Bedelia stood up and began stammering apologies as tears came to her eyes and began falling. She felt like a failure and an idiot. He was certainly bound to give them a bad review now, no matter what she did.  
He held up a hand. “Bedelia, please calm down. It’s going to be okay,” he said quietly.  
Bedelia took a few deep breaths. “I’m sorry Mr Lecter. I’ll get the kitchen to make it again. I’ll pay for your suit or for it to be dry cleaned,” she said calmly. Despite being a college student, she was quite well off compared to most people her age.

Hannibal began trying to clean up his suit. “I’m not going to make you pay for a little accident, all I ask is that the kitchen remake the meal,” he said calmly, “believe me Bedelia, I’ve had much worse happen to me.”

“I’m still sorry,” she said, “I’ll send someone to clean up the mess.” She headed back to the kitchen, wiping her tears.

“Franklin, I’m sorry, I need that meal again. I tripped, and well... it’s in Mr Lecter’s lap,” she half-stammered.

“It’s okay Bedelia,” Jack, the head chef replied. “Shit happens. We’ll get right on it. Jimmy, could you go clean up the mess? Alana, take Bedelia to the back and get her some water and tissues.”

Bedelia smiled as Alana led her two the staff room, the two of them staying there until the food was ready.

Bedelia took the plate to Mr Lecter and smiled. “Your meal is on the house, Sir, because of what happened. The only thing you need to pay for is the bottle of wine,” she said.

Hannibal smiled. “Thank you Bedelia, you’re doing a wonderful job.”

Bedelia flushed lightly and left him to his meal, stopping by a few times to ask if he needed or wanted anything else and to see if he was enjoying the meal. When she brought his check, he handed her the cash, telling her to keep the change. She smiled and thanked him, telling him to have a good night. Hannibal Lecter, the tough food critic was the nicest man she had ever met, and her feelings were increased when she realized he had given her a large tip, larger than she had ever received.

Three days later when his review was published on his blog, Bedelia squealed lightly at the five star rating he had given them, and how he thought the serving staff were ‘generous, kind, hardworking people who took excellent care of their customers.’

 


	42. Notice Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: “It took you so long to notice me, I was beginning to think I was invisible.”

I was growing increasingly agitated at Hannibal’s sole topic of discussion. Will Graham. Before he came into Hannibal’s life, I was sure Hannibal and I were coming close to getting together. I thought he was coming close to seeing me as more than just his therapist, but as a potential lover. Not anymore. All he talked about was Will Graham, and though I had never met the man, I wanted him gone. I hated him, plain and simple. I was jealous of him for grabbing Hannibal’s attention and affections.

“Bedelia, um, I’m sorry- Dr Du Maurier,” he said after a particularly painful session.

“Yes?” I asked, praying it wasn’t about Will Graham.

“Have I ever told you how beautiful you are? That you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen?” he asked, taking a sip from his wine glass.

I looked up at him. “Thank you Hannibal,” I whispered.

“Something is bothering you, but I can’t tell what. I know I’m not your therapist, but please tell me,” he implored softly.

“I’m sick of hearing about Will Graham,” I replied, “he is all you talk about and you don’t even notice anyone else anymore. Not even if they are so deeply in love with you that it hurts them.”

“I notice you Bedelia, of course I do. You’re a muse to me. I love you more than anything in this world,” he said, “everything I do is for you in the end. Will Graham is not, and never will be, my endgame.”

I looked at him intently. “It took you so long to notice me, I was beginning to think I was invisible.” Tears came to my eyes as Hannibal approached me, kneeling before me.

“You could never be invisible to me Bedelia. You’re my angel,” he leaned forward and stroked my cheek before kissing me tenderly.

I returned the kiss and let my tears fall. Finally.


	43. The Boy is (Not) Mine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> prompt: in love with your best friend's partner

Bedelia couldn’t stop gazing at him. He was the most handsome man she had ever seen in her life. Absolutely perfect.

Of course, her close friend, Alana Bloom, had just introduced him as Hannibal Lecter, her boyfriend. Why wouldn’t he be Alana’s boyfriend, that was how Bedelia’s luck usually went, wasn’t it? Most of the decent guys she met were unavailable in one way or another, and it was getting annoying.

It wasn’t like she needed a man, but it would be nice to have a boyfriend, mostly to get her parents off her back about finding a man.

When Alana left to get the three of them drinks, Hannibal and Bedelia were left alone.

“So,” he began, “how do you know Alana?”

“We’re in the same course at University, studying to become psychiatrists,” she explained.

“Ah, I’m her tutor,” he said, laughing lightly. “I know it’s not exactly ethical, but neither of us really care. It’s not like I’m her prof or anything.”

Bedelia nodded. “Yeah, I don’t think you can get in trouble.”

Hannibal shook his head. “How’s your tutor?”

Bedelia scoffed. “He’s a moron who doesn’t understand anything. His name is Frederick Chilton, do you know him?”

Hannibal shuddered. “I know him. He’s not anyone’s first choice for tutor, I’m sorry he’s yours.”

Bedelia laughed. “Absolutely the worst. I want to kick him in the ass.”

Hannibal shrugged. “I can take over, tutor you and Alana together?”

Bedelia’s eyes widened and she nodded and she nodded lightly. “Oh yes please Hannibal. Anything to not have to see Chilton again.”

Hannibal laughed. “Alright. We’ll set up a schedule together, and no more Chilton.”

“Thank you so much Hannibal.” she said, as Alana came back, handing them each a glass of wine as she sat down with her beer. They both thanked her and began discussing the plan they had concocted.

Maybe it was betraying her friend, but Bedelia still intended to use those tutoring sessions to get closer to Hannibal. He wasn’t yet, but one day, Hannibal would be hers.


	44. Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: "I know how to make you talk."

Will leaned across the table. “I know how to make you talk Bedelia. Your weakness is the monster growing inside of you. The monster the two of you put there together.”

Bedelia turned her head and dropped her hands to her abdoman. She briefly shot him a glare. “If you ever try and hurt my child, it will be the last thing you ever do. I’ll make sure of that. If you hurt us, Hannibal will make sure it’s the last thing you ever do,” she growled.

Will laughed. “How will he do that? We have him locked up at BSHCI, or did you forget? Your fierce protector went looking for me and got caught. It seems to me like he doesn’t really care about you or the child.”

“He did what he did to protect us,” she replied, half growling at him.

Will laughed again. “Well, he didn’t do a very good job since all three of you are in our grasp. Once you have that baby, we’re going to take it away and lock you up with your psycho unless you start talking.”

Bedelia glared at him. “That’s what you think. You’ll never come near my child. I don’t know what you want me to tell you.”

“You’re a liar,” he spat, “you lived with the monster, slept in the same bed as him, married him, and got pregnant with his bastard.”

Bedelia slammed her hands down on the table and sprung up. “Don’t you dare bring my legitimate child into this,” she shouted.

“You brought your baby into this when you got pregnant with it,” he shouted in reply.

“You’re jealous of me. You’re jealous that in the end, Hannibal chose me. You wanted him to yourself, but he is mine,” she shouted, tears beginning to fall from her eyes.

“You think I could be jealous of you?” Will asked. “What the fuck is wrong with your head?”

Bedelia smirked. “Nothing, there’s something fucked up about you though. You betrayed him. Your pain is no one’s fault but your own.”

Will shook his head, grabbed the file and stormed out of the room.

Bedelia sat down again and cradled her bump again. “Mommy won’t let anything bad happen to you. I promise. So does daddy. We love you. We have to keep resisting that awful man,” she whispered, “we’re already winning.”


	45. Join Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: "Is there a reason you're naked in my bed?"

Bedelia entered the Florentine flat, hoping Hannibal wasn’t home yet. She was still upset with him about the events of the prior evening. They were bordering on unforgivable. All she wanted to do was take a bath and retreat to her bed without having to look at him or communicate with him.

She went into the bedroom and saw Hannibal laying on the bed... naked. She cleared her throat loudly. “Is there a reasaon you’re naked in my bed, Hannibal?” she asked.

Hannibal shrugged. “I was just thinking perhaps you could join me,” he suggested.

“Get out,” she said, “I’m still angry with you.”

Hannibal sighed. “I understand that, but please, hear me out.”

Bedelia sighed and turned to leave. Hannibal jumped up. “Bedelia, he was going to spill our secrets. I had to protect them, in order to protect you. I can’t do this without you. Without you, I would have been caught by now, because I would have no reason to stay free.”

He wrapped his arms around her, holding her body to him. “I love you Bedelia, I need you. You’re the only person that hasn’t betrayed me. I won’t ever hurt you Bedelia.”

Bedelia leaned into him. “Next time you plan on doing something rash, please tell me before, just so that I know what’s going on.”

Hannibal nodded. “As much as I can, now will you consider joining me in bed, my beautiful darling wife?”

Bedelia nodded. “Only because you apologized.”

Hannibal took her hand and led her to their bed. “I love you so much Bedelia.”


	46. Forgotten

From the beginning, Bedelia had been wary of Will Graham. Hannibal was becoming obsessed with him, to the point where he was beginning to miss appointments with her in order to work with Will. She was being pushed away, and slowly, Hannibal was forgetting her. At the same time, Bedelia felt her heart breaking. She couldn’t lose the only person she had left in the world, but she was.

She had lost so much because of Hannibal, but losing him would push her over the edge.

Finally, she had an appointment that he hadn’t cancelled.

Wehn they sat down for their session, Bedelia sighed. “Hannibal, can you please not talk about Will Graham for the next hour?”

Hannibal’s jaw dropped slightly. “Have I offended you Bedelia?”

Bedelia gasped. “You seriously don’t get it, do you? You have cancelled six of our last eight appointments in a month in to work with your precious Will Graham, without a single thought of how your actions will affect me. Will Graham this- Will Graham that. Hannibal, you’re the only person I have left in my life and slowly, you forgot about me because someone else came along. I just want an hour with you, where you tell me about you, where Will Graham is not there even in spirit. Just you and I, the way it used to be. Will Graham is not my patient, you are. And I hate feeling forgotten in my own life. It’s the worst feeling in the world. Hannibal, you have no idea how heartbroken I am.”

Hannibal stared at her intently. “Heartbroken?”

Bedelia nodded. “I’ve been falling in love with you for a while now. And then you go on and on about how great someone else is. It hurts Hannibal. Maybe I should have said something when I began having these feelings, but I wasn’t sure. You’ve taken so much from my life, and yet, losing you would be worse than any of that. I just don’t want you to forget about me, you don’t have to share my feelings.”

Hannibal sighed. “Bedelia, I’m sorry for making you feel forgotten. I guess Will was like a shiny new toy, and I got distracted, as so many people do when they get one. Please forgive me, it was never my intention to hurt you the way I have.”

Bedelia looked up into his eyes. “Hannibal, I forgive you. I just didn’t want to be forgotten. I didn’t want to lose you to someone else who might not ever appreciate you like I do.”

Hannibal gently pulled Bedelia into his arms. “Will is nothing more than a plaything to me. You will always hold my heart in your hands, my dear psychiatrist. It’s always been you.”


	47. Naughty

Bedelia laughed as Hannibal turned the music and began stripping. The two of them had gotten tipsy celebrating the end of their education. They were finally Doctors!

Bedelia held out her hands to him. “You’re being a very naughty boy, not giving me what I was promised,” she said with a pout.

“My apologies angel,” he replied, joining her on the bed and kissing her passionately. “I only ever want to be naughty for you. You’re my entire world Bedelia.” He slipped his hand into her bra and skimmed his fingertips over her nipple, making her shudder. He pressed his lips to hers once again, the two of them moaning loudly.

Bedelia shifted her legs to straddle Hannibal, grinning into their kiss when the tip of his clothed erection rubbed against her equally clothed entrance.

Hannibal bit her lip and gently sucked on it, eliciting more moans from her. He moved a hand down to fondle her and make her as wet as he could before she began begging. He knew it wouldn’t be long before it happened. They were young, spry, and enjoyed each other. She was an angel, and he was the devil.

Bedelia pulled back. “Hannibal, stop teasing me. I need you inside of me right now. Please,” she whined.

Hannibal chuckled. “As you wish, my angel.” He pulled back and slid down her body, pulling her panties down her legs before shoving his boxers down and onto the floor. He climbed on top of her again, nudging her opening as her legs wrapped around him again and she pulled him onto her.

The two of them groaned loudly. “Happy graduation, Dr Du Maurier.”

“Happy graduation, Dr Lecter. Now, show me how well you know the human body.”

And so, he did. Several times that night.


	48. Question

Bedelia stood in awe, staring down at Hannibal, still on one knee, holding her hands in his. She tried to catch her breath as he gazed at her expectantly.

“Bedelia?”

“Hannibal, until now, I never really knew how having love in your life was supposed to feel. You’ve changed that for me. Yes, Hannibal, I will marry you. I love you, and I know you love me as well. I didn’t know until now, but this is what I want. I want to be with you, marry you, run away with you. It’s all I have ever wanted. Thank you,” she whispered, tears forming in her eyes.

He stood up and wiped her tears away before embracing her. “Thank you, Bedelia,” he whispered, kissing her hair.


	49. Drive

“Do you want to accompany me on a drive?” Hannibal asked Bedelia during a casual dinner one evening at their Florentine residence.

Bedelia’s fork paused on her way to her mouth as she looked at Hannibal with fear in her eyes.

“No, Bedelia, I’m not going to harm you. I was thinking we could go away for a few days. Spend some time, just the two of us, no interruptions.”

Bedelia ate the food on her fork before nodding. “Since I trust you, I’ll come along. Only because you promised that you wouldn’t hurt me.”

“Well, we never got a honeymoon, you see,” he said, smiling happily. “This is our chance. Odds are they’ll begin to close in on us in about a year. I want you to have good memories of our time together.”

“Provided our time together ends without my demise and without me becomming your meal,” she replied.

“I make no promises about that in the long run.”

“I know. As long as you don’t make me your meal in the next few days.”

“That I can promise,” he replied.

“Impromptu honeymoon. Long awaited, but still spur of the moment,” she whispered, taking another bite. “Sounds like fin.”

Hannibal smiled and raised his wine glass. “It will be.”

Bedelia’s glass joined his and together, they drank.


	50. Song

Bedelia stood up at the end of another session. “Red or white?”

“White today, I think,” Hannibal replied.

Bedelia nodded. “Anything you want to talk about now?”

Hannibal chuckled. “I just spoke for the better part of an hour, Bedelia. Is there anything you want to talk about?”

Bedelia handed him his glass of wine and shrugged. “I don’t leave my house Hannibal. What interesting tales do I have to tell?”

Hannibal nodded. “You can talk to me about anything. I won’t pretend to be your therapist, you don’t have to worry. Tell me things you would tells friends.”

“Hannibal, you and I get along well enough with our professional relationship, we are not friends,” she reminded him.

“We were friends before you were my therapist,” he retorted.

Bedelia nodded.”I enjoy listening to you. Please don’t rob me of that. Your voice is the song I could listen to all day.”

Hannibal smiled softly. “Would you like to hear my, er, song about you?”

Bedelia flushed lightly as his gaze intensified. She nodded.

Hannibal smiled and took a deep breath. “When the sun shines through those curtain, it gives a faint aura like a halo around your head, only adding to your angelic beauty. When the corners of your lips tilt, showing that small smile of yours, it feels like the sun is actually in the room with us. Some would call you an ice queen, but your presense makes my life warmer and more comforting. You’re the first one I think about in the morning and the last one I think about at night. You’re always on my mindm and the time we spend together, it’s the time of the week I ache for the rest of the time.

“When I was growing up, I saw many beautiful things in museums in both Italy and France. Nothing I saw there could ever compare to the beauty I see and the emotion I feel when I’m with you.

“Slowly, you are taking over my heart and my mind. The first time I saw you, I thought my mind and body were lusting for you, now after all the time that you and I have known each other, I’ve learned that what I feel for you is much more than simple lust. It is pure and undeniable love.

“My care and love for you are in my very bones. I want to protect you from this world and the dangers it holds for you. I know you can fight on your own, but even though you don’t need me to be, I want to be your knight, your protector. And all because I love you.”

Bedelia looked at him, her cheeks highly flushed at this point. She took a long sip of her wine. “That was very poetic Hannibal. It makes me wonder how truthful it is.”

Hannibal took a sip of his wine. “Do you believe me to be a gentleman Bedelia?”

Bedelia smiled. “You’ve never given me any reason to doubt.”

“then you should know that a gentleman doesn’t lie about where his affections lay,” he said, finishing his wine.

Bedelia stood up. “I’ll see you next week, Hannibal.”

She led him to the door and watched his car leave her driveway. She felt warmer than she had before he’d arrived for his session. Perhaps they could rebuild their friendship, or if they decided in the future that they wanted to, become romantically involved with one another.


	51. Why

Bedelia stood in the living room, her arms crossed. She glared at her husband as he walked in the door.

“Hello Bedelia,” he said casually, removing his coat.

“Who is it?” she asked, her voice hoarse. “Who are you seeing behind my back?”

“What?” he asked, confusion in his voice. “Bedelia, I’m confused.”

Bedelia scoffed. “Hannibal, it’s clear that you’re cheating on me. I just want to know who it is. Has Will Graham found his way to Florence? Are you sneaking around with him?

Hannibal’s jaw dropped. “Of course not Bedelia. Why would you think that? Why do you think I’m cheating on you?”

Bedelia let out a small laugh. “How could I not? A month ago, you wanted to be intimate with me. You haven’t touched me in over 2 weeks. Clearly there’s someone else, someone else that you prefer to me.”

Hannibal shook his head. “I couldn’t prefer anyone to you. Bedelia, I haven’t touched you because I didn’t think you wanted me to. It felt like you were distant everytime we made love. So I stayed away.”

Bedelia sighed. “Seriously? Why should I believe you?”

“Because you know I don’t lie.”

Bedelia shook her head. “You tell half-truths.”

“But I don’t lie. Yes, I withhold information, but I’ve never lied to you.”

“You’ve tried to hurt me in the past.”

“But now, my priority is protecting you. I haven’t wanted to do anything by protect and care for you since I realized that I’m in love with you.”

Bedelia took a sip of wine from the glass on the table before glancing down at the floor. “You love me?”

Hannibal nodded. “What this is... out marriage- it isn’t a farce to me. I was hurt when I believed that you didn’t want me to touch you any longer. It thought that I had disappointed you in some way. Please, tell me how you really feel about me.”

Bedelia took another sip of wine. “I feel things for you that I’ve never felt for anyone else before you. I believe it might be love. When I thought you were cheating, I will jealous. That must prove something,” she said before nodding lightly. “I love you Hannibal. I shouldn’t, but I do.”

Hannibal smiled and took her hand, kissing it lightly. “I’ll never let you go.”

Bedelia gave Hannibal a genuine smile.

 


	52. Guardian

Hannibal wrapped his arms around his shaking psychiatrist. The two of them were now both covered in blood. He rubbed her arms and tried to sooth her, but it was having no effect.

After a while, Hannibal carried her to the bathroom, simply to get her away from it before he phoned the police.

He stayed by her side and cleaned her up after the police left. Once that was done, he poured them each a glass of wine and sat beside her.

“Bedelia,” he said quietly, drawing her eyes to him, “I had no idea he would do that.”

“Why didn’t you tell the police that I killed Neal?”

“Because I want to protect you. You are important to me, and I will keep your secrets. Your story is solid, I made sure of that. We can do this together, you’ll be safe,” he whispered.

“Why did you refer him to me” she whispered, “are you going to hold this against me?”

Hannibal exhaled. “I was curious. Make any and all assumptions that you will based on that. Just know that from this point forward, I will protect you from any and all people that wish to cause you harm.”

Bedelia smiled and nodded, though not completely trusting the man beside her. She never had and never would completely trust him, or anyone else, ever again.


	53. Bird

Bedelia sat in the FBI interrogation room once again, glaring at Will Graham. She was beyond tired of near constant interrogation, especially in her current state.

“Are you ready to sing?” he asked her.

Bedelia scoffed. “I have nothing to say. And even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you.”

“Obstructing justice? Do you want your brat to be born in prison? Your child will never know its mother or father if you do,” he said.

“Don’t think you can do this to me. I don’t know anything,” she stammered, her hands dropping to her abdomen. “I did what I had to do in order to survive. I didn’t do anything that hurt another person.”

“You let him kill people, helped him get away with it! You benefited from his murders. You used the name of one of his victims,” Will shouted.

Bedelia turned her head away, tears forming in her eyes. “You have no proof. You won’t be able to take my baby away.”

“You think I don’t have proof?” Will laughed. “Do you think I don’t have any proof? If we can’t get you for murder or aiding and abetting, I’m sure we can get you for identity theft, child endangerment, and drug possession.”

Bedelia’s jaw clenched. “I have never, and will never let my child come to any harm. How dare you say that?”

“You were getting high in the early days of your pregnancy. The father of your child is Hannibal Lecter, and you have already told us that you want your child to meet its father. Exposing a child to a man like that is endangerment,” he said, a smile growing on his face.

Bedelia began trembling lightly. “I don’t think you understand the lengths I will go to in order to protect my child from those that truly mean them harm. People like you. Hannibal was excited for this baby, and you took him away from me. But not for long,” she whispered, trying to sound stronger than she felt.

Will shook his head. “You and that child are trapped. Like little birds. Caged and brainswashed. How unfortunate that your only child will never know their own mind?” he asked, leaning towards her.

Bedelia shook her head. “My child will know their own mind, as do I. Forgive me for standing by the man I love while you actively try to ruin his life. You’ve ruined the livews of my family.”

Will sighed. “You’re nothing more than a trapped bird, Bedelia. You don’t need to be afraid of Hannibal anymore.”

Bedelia laughed. “I’m not afraid of him. You couldn’t be further from the truth. I may have been a trapped bird at one point, but the rest of the time, I was playing all of you. Hannibal is still legally my husband, and that means that you can’t force me to tesitfy against him. Stop trying to convince me, and stop pretending that you know me. You’re disloyal and never deserved a man like Hannibal. I’m leaving now. If you want to follow through on your threats, you know where to find me. Just know that Hannibal will break free, and if you put me in prison or take my child away, he will save us and kill you.”

Will scoffed and allowed Bedelia to leave. Bedelia strutted past him, and he noticed for the first time, as she pulled her coat on and moved her hair out of the way, the small bird tattoo with an H as a talon, near the scar left on her from her attack. He didn’t comment, but in his mind, it only furthered his trapped bird theory.

As Bedelia climbed into the driver’s seat of Hannibal’s Jaguar, she looked down and smiled at her abdomen. “My beautiful little Daya, he won’t hurt you. If he tries, I’ll kill him, don’t you worry about that.”

Daya kicked lightly, bringing a smile to Bedelia’s lips as she drove off to visit Hannibal. They needed to escape again, if not for their safety, then for the safety of their tiny bird.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Daya- Hebrew roots, meaning 'bird of prey'


	54. Taste

Bedelia looked at Hannibal expectantly. She hadn’t cooked one of his recipes in the way he liked before, but after breaking out of BSHCI, she wanted to give him a treat.

Hannibal swallowed the first bite and looked at her.

“D-does it taste alright?” she stammered.

Hannibal smiled. “It tastes lovely my dear,” he replied, holding out the fork and offering her a bite.

Bedelia leaned forward and took the fork into her mouth, moaning lightly. “My work isn’t that bad. Not to your level though.”

“There is quite certainly potential. We can work on perfecting it together. That is, if you wish to come with me again.”

Bedelia smiled and nodded. “How could I turn down the man I love? After all, I’m already packed.”

Hannibal smiled. Bedelia was exactly what he had been looking for all along, and he had been a fool.


	55. Break

Bedelia moaned loudly as Hannibal’s hand skimmed her throat. “Do you like what you see?” he asked, his naked body before her.

Bedelia nodded. “Choke me harder. You’re so big and strong, I think you might break me. I can’t wait to see if I’m right.”

Hannibal chuckled lightly. “You don’t have to wait.”

Bedelia shuddered as he dragged her panties down her legs and plunged his fingers inside of her. Her head fell back.

“Ha-Hannibal,” she moaned, “I need your cock inside me. Now!”

Hannibal chuckled and whithdrew his fingers before thrusting into her, as deeply as he could with the fist stroke.

Bedelia squealed and clung to him with a broad smile on her lips. “Carry me to the bed,” she moaned, Hannibal complying with her order.

They fell onto the bed, Hannibal on top of her, thrusting roughly. Bedelia tightened her grip on him.

“You like this?” he asked, breathing into her ear as he nipped the lobe.

Bedelia nodded.

“Say it Be,” he growled.

“I love it,” she cried out. Hannibal smiled and drove deeper, sucking on her neck.

“Am I big enough to break you? Is it what you thought it would be?”

Bedelia whimpered lightly. “You’re bigger and better than I’ve ever had. Bigger and better than I’d ever imagined.”

Hannibal kissed her gently. “Glad to hear it, my dearest love.”


	56. Whip

Bedelia looked down at her patient and tutted lightly.

Hannibal was tied up on her bed, and he smiled up at her. “I can’t wait to do the tying again beautiful,” he growled.

Bedelia reaised an eyebrow. “Hannibal, are you going to be a good boy?”

He shook his head defiantly, struggling against the silk scarves she had used on his wrists.

Bedelia shrugged. “Then it looks like I’ll have to use the whip.”

Hannibal chuckled. “That sounds like a fine idea, Bedelia.”

Bedelia smirked. “Hannibal, I don’t need you to agree with me. You’ve signed the consent form, unless you use the safeword, anything we’ve agreed to on that sheet of paper is legal.”

He smiled lightly. “And to this day, I’ve never had to use the safeword. I like what you do to me.”

Bedelia shrugged again. “Well, I’m here to push your limits, that’s all that I try to do when we’re like this. You have such incredible self-control. I only want to see how long it takes to break you,” she said as she grabbed her whip and dangled it in front of him.

Hannibal’s grin expanded. “Please?” he asked.

Bedelia shook her head. “I don’t give you what you ask for. Haven’t you learned that by now?”

Hannibal shook his head.

“Bad boy,” she muttered, slapping the whip down onto his bare chest.

Hannibal hissed loudly at the contact, but his smile never faded.

“Will you be a good boy?”

Hannibal shook his head. “Never, Bedelia.”

Bedelia hit him with the whip once again. “Tell me when you’ve had enough and you’re ready to be good.”

“Never.”


	57. Stab

Hannibal collapsed in front of Bedelia. “I’m hurting,” he whispered, tears in his eyes.

Bedelia scoffed. “I’m sorry, did my back hurt your knife?”

Hannibal hung his head. “Bedelia, please talk to me.”

Bedelia walked away, calling back to him. “You and I are done. I don’t ever want to see you again. You’ve hurt me Hannibal.”

“Bedelia, I broke out of there. I had to see you. Things are finally clear now,” he tried to explain as he followed her.

“Goodbye Hannibal. I’m done. I don’t want to hear what you have to say,” she said, not sorry for cutting him off. She was afraid to let him back in, afraid that he would leave and shatter her heart again.

Hannibal’s face fell when Bedelia turned to look back at him with a neutral expression on her face. “Bedelia, please-”

“Give my regards to Will Graham,” she said walking away.

“If he ever really loved me, he wouldn’y have run off after Will Graham,” she whispered ot herself.

There was still a very significant part of her that wanted him to disobey her and follow after her, to come back, to love her and hold her again. She didn’t think it very likely.

She was beyond relieved and couldn’t hide her smile, couldn’t help but lean into him when she felt his body behind her and his hand snaking around to hold her gently.

“I’m never leaving you again,” he growled into her ear as he inhaled and kissed her hair.


	58. Not Sorry

Hannibal’s jaw dropped as his therapist told him she was getting married.

Bedelia smiled. “Remember Claude? I introduced the two of you at your last appointment. We’re engaged.”

Hannibal shook his head. “I didn’t know the two of you were together. I thought he was a childhood friend, that’s how you introduced him!”

Bedelia shrugged lightly. “Um, we’ve actually only known each other since high school. He’s nice, and he’s going to be a good husband.”

Hannibal shook his head again. “Bedelia, he won’t. I did a background check-”

Bedelia’s jaw dropped. “Hannibal! Why would you do that?”

“I was suspicious of him, and rightly so. He’s got enormous debt, he’s faced criminal charges from things varying from theft to assault. I feel protective of you, I can’t let you marry a man who wants your money, a man who might hurt you.”

Bedelia scoffed. “Hannibal, I’m sorry if this upsets you, but I’m going to marry Claude, no matter what you say. I don’t believe what you’re telling me. I don’t know why you’re so against him. I know him, you don’t.”

Hannibal scoffed. “I will see you next week, Bedelia.” He stood up and left the room and her home.

 

For the next two months, Hannibal tried to persuade Bedelia to call off the wedding, and every single time, she declined. He was beginning to lose hope.

 

When the day of the wedding came, Hannibal prepared himself for success. He had to look perfect and composed. He had to appeal to Bedelia one more time. Thankfully, she had invited him to the small affair that was bound to be fun of Claude’s friends and family, since Bedelia had so few.

He took a seat and before long, Bedelia was walking down the aisle, beautiful as always.

Hannibal tried to be happy for her, but he knew that Claude wasn’t the right man for his beloved Bedelia. He wished he were the one marrying Bedelia.

Bedelia passed him and he took a deep breath. He could sense that she wasn’t as happy as she should be.

When they were told to sit, Hannibal did, listening intently.

As soon as the preacher asked is anyone had any reason as to why Bedelia and Claude could not marry, Hannibal stood up.

Bedelia’s eyes were drawn to him, but he couldn’t read her expression.

He took a deep breath. “Bedelia, please listen to me. I know you’re not happy, and it’s because Claude isn’t good for you. Please, come with me. Run away with me. I’ll be good to you, I promise.”

Bedelia looked at Claude and pulled her hands away from his. “I’m sorry Claude, but really you should be the one whose sorry. I can’t do this.”

She walked away from him and held her hand out to Hannibal. Hannibal took it and led her from the church.

Later, Bedelia wiped off her makeup, examining the bruise on her cheek.

She walked out of the bathroom, towards Hannibal. “Two nights ago, I was interested, I remembered what you had said about Claude. I was doing a background check, and he came home.” She gestured towards the bruise.

Hannibal gently pulled her into his arms, and Bedelia rested her head on his chest.

“Thank you for being there to save me,” she whispered.

“Like I said, I feel protective of you. I always will. Now, tomorrow, we’ll leave for wherever you want to go. Pick a place, anywhere in the world. Are you going to be okay if I leave for about an hour?”

Bedelia shook her head. “Let me come with you?”

Hannibal smiled and stroked her cheek. “If you would like, my dear.

“What are you going to do?”

“Ensure that Claude never hurts you or comes near you again.”

 

Fourteen hours later, the couple were sitting in First Class on their way to Australia.

“Thank you,” Bedelia whispered, a genuine smile on her face.

Hannibal took her hand and kissed it. “Anything for you Bedelia.”

 


	59. Tripping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Real smooth, tripping over air." featuring Will Graham.

Bedelia stood up with her wineglass in her hand, going to refill it.

Half-stumbling on her heels, she tripped over the step to the kitchen and grabbing the kitchen island quickly before she could hit the ground.

Will Graham clapped his hands. “Real smooth, tripping over air; and you say I’m the one with no grace.”

Bedelia huffed as she grabbed the wine bottle, pouring a sizeable amount into the glass. “Get lost, I tripped over the damn step.

“Maybe if you didn’t drink so much, you wouldn’t have that issue,” he said. “I really don’t know why Hannibal keeps you around. Eating you wouldn’t be all that great, with all the booze in you, your liver is probably wrecked at this point.”

Bedelia smirked and took a sip of her wine. “Hannibal has never complained about how I taste. In fact, I’d say that he enjoys it. He has a sophisticated palate and he is very particular about how I taste. He would tell me if there was an issue, now wouldn’t he? Though, I don’t suppose you’ve had the same opportunities as I have. You’re nothing more than his pet, I’m his wife.”

“I can change that,” he said, “it would be easy. All I’d have to do is get rid of you.”

Bedelia shook her head. “You don’t know him at all. He would kill you if you did that. He’s come close to doing so before, but next time you won’t be so lucky. Especially if I get hurt by you. I’m the only one who didn’t betray him. Everything I did was because it was how he wanted it to be.”

Will scoffed. “You told the whole world your story, well _Lydia Fell’s_ story. How is that not betrayal.”

Bedelia chuckled and continued drinking. “He hasn’t told you? Well, it must be a lack of trust. Like I said, everything I did was because it was how he wanted it. The story I told, it sounded rehersed because it _was._ Hannibal and I agreed on the story I would tell to keep myself out of prison, out of your clutches, which became top priority when I got pregnant.”

Will shook his head. “At the very least you lied to him about that. You don’t have a child.”

Bedelia placed the bottle and her glass on the breakfast island before using it to steady herself. She took a deep breath and willed the tears not to flood her eyes. “I fell ill and miscarried soon after returning to America. Perhaps it had something to do with you snatching my husband from my arms and pushing for a court order that prevented me from seeing him after I got extradited from Italy. If I told him that what I went through was your fault, I know that he would kill you. You ought to thank me.”

Will laughed lightly. “I dare you to tell him. We’ll see who Hannibal would rather have in his life.”

Bedelia smirked and stood up straight again, grabbing the bottle and her glass before walking away. Maybe she would, and she had no doubt of the fact that she would win.


	60. Watching You

Bedelia looked at her sleeping husband. She had patched him up and brought him to bed for a rest, because she knew that no matter what the next step was, he would need energy and rest. Who knew when he would sleep again, even for a few hours? She certainly didn’t.

She looked at the cuts that marked his handsome face and sighed. She should be angry at him for ruining what they had here in Florence, but for some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to feel that way towards him. 

She had grown to love him, and not in the Stockholm Syndrome way a captive grows to love their captor. But finally being able to see under his person suit, to have removed it, that’s what taught her enough about him that she was able to fall in love.

Standing up from his bedside, she took a deep breath before removing a small suitcase from the wardrobe and packing for him. Necessities only in the beginning, but by the end, she had tucked her scarf from the previous day (still smelling of her perfume) into the side.

A way to remember her scent, the scent he had longed for for so long.

When Hannibal awoke, she didn’t hear him, for she was in the bathroom far too busy to pay attention to the outside world. She had her own path that she needed to follow. For a while, their paths would be separate, but they would reunite in the future. That was something she was certain of.

The FBI, Will Graham, nothing would keep her and Hannibal apart, not for long. Not now.

When she returned to their main room, she saw Hannibal on the terrace, overlooking Florence, and she smiled sadly, capturing this moment in her memory. He was sketching the city, and she would do everything to not break his focus. When he ceased and began speaking, she approached.

She wouldn’t, couldn’t, tell him that she loved him, but she would make their temporary goodbye memorable for him. 

After all, he hadn’t made a meal of her yet, and she wanted to see how much longer she would last. He would be caught, and he would escape. How long it would take, she wasn’t sure, but she had a way to survive. She would be watching him as much as possible, and when the time was right, they would be reunited, together as a family once and for all. 


	61. Returning Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dedicated to sannidings who wasn't feeling well earlier this week. Take care of yourself <3

“You may make a meal of me yet, Hannibal,” she whispered as the two of them closed the gap between them, sharing a brief, yet passionate, kiss. As she pulled away, she had a small smile on her face. “But not today.”

Hannibal left Bedelia, and their Florence home moments later, carrying the bag she had packed for him. If he could have it his way, she would either be with him, or he wouldn’t have left at all. But he knew that this was the only way their plan could work.

He walked to the Uffizi, contemplating what she had said. He did want to eat her, he would make her into the most delectable dish, and consume her himself. No one else would recieve the honour of a single scrap. She was his to consume, plain and simple. There were lots of things he would do for Will Graham, but allowing him a taste of Bedelia was not one of them.

 

A few hours later however, after Chiyoh had shot Will, Hannibal found that he couldn’t go with him. He had to abandon the plan. He knew that Bedelia would be disappointed, but he found that his mind was full of her, and the time they had spent together. There was not a single second where he hadn’t been thinking that he wished he was with her.

He knew that Will couldn’t, and shouldn’t, be trusted. Not after last time. Yes, Bedelia had left, but she had come back, and more than proven herself to him. He had to go back to her, they had to run once again. Maybe the next place they went wouldn’t be as luxurious, but he would find a way to make her happy. He would do everything in his power.

He knew it was a rash thing to do, but he sedated Will and left the flat.

 

Walking back home to Bedelia, he wondered what she would say, and how she would feel. He was returning home to her, the way he always wanted to. Opening the door, he called out her name, instantly worried when no reseponse came. He quietly slipped into the kitchen to get a knife from his cutting block before searching the apartment. If someone was in here with her, or worse holding her, he wanted to be prepared.

Slipping into their bedroom, he looked at his wife sleeping peacfully on their bed. Smiling, he placed the knife on his dressing table and crawled into bed, gently wrapping his arms around her.

Bedelia startled awake and turned her head. “Am I dreaming?” she mumbled, her eye meeting Hannibal’s.

“No darling, and I’ve not returned to make a meal of you,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

“Wouldn’t a dream want me to think it was real?” she asked.

Hannibal smiled and stroked her hair softly. “Fair point, but would a dream give you what I can?”

Bedelia turned around fully, her eyebrow raised slightly. “And what are you planning to give me?”

Hannibal pressed a kiss to her lips before moving her onto her back and climbing on top of her. He pressed kisses to her lips, cheeks, chin, jaw, and neck before continuing downward.

Bedelia instantly relaxed. This certainly was not a dream. She let her head fall back as he approached her where she wanted him the most. He had only needed direction the first time, and had never been unsuccessful at loving her.

In that moment, the only thing either of them could think about was that they were home, where they belonged, with the one they belonged with. Everything was right in their world once again.


	62. Good Man, Bad Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hannibal is a 'good' man, yet still a 'bad boy'.   
> Prompt: “It’s hard to resist a bad boy who’s a good man.”

Bedelia’s eyes raked over Hannibal as he stood before her in his new leather jacket. She knew that she had made the right choice for her husband with that particular purchase. Since their move to Europe, he had stopped driving regular cars and had started riding motorcycles again, like he had in their youth. And in her mind, to ride a motorcycle and look good, a leather jacket should be worn. She couldn’t help but remember all the times when they were younger when he had sported such a garment and sped around Baltimore on his bike, sometimes with her on the back, other times alone. Of course his inner daredevil had calmed when she was with him, but now she felt that she would crave the danger of him riding unhinged with her. She knew it had always upset her parents when she and Hannibal participated in motorcycle riding. She was reminded of the time when her mother informed her that Hannibal was a “bad boy” and “she should stay away from him.”

Bedelia stood up and moved towards her husband, touching his chest gently. “A very bad boy,” she whispered softly, pressing her lips to his.

Hannibal pulled back for a second. “What do you mean by that?” he asked, curiously.

Bedelia smiled. “I was just remembering the time I introduced you to my parents and they got upset because you had a motorcycle. My mother told me to stay away because you were a bad boy. Yeah, she was right about that.”

Hannibal smiled and put his hands on her hips gently. “Well, bad boys give off an aura of danger, don’t they. I know that’s what you like,” he whispered, pulling her closer to him.

“That, and you’re a good man in addition to a bad boy. It’s very hard to resist that combination of good man and bad boy,” she informed him, pressing another kiss to his lips.

Hannibal chuckled. “Anything to make me irresistable to you is worth it, darling,” he replied, biting her bottom lip.

Bedelia smiled, glad she had made this purchase. After all, she would soon be satisfied by its effect on Hannibal, and he would be as well.   


	63. More Than Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elementary school AU. Bedelia and Hannibal are best friends.  
> Prompt: Put 2 and 2 together dummy, I like you

Bedelia looked across the classroom at her best friend who was busy chatting up the new kid. She was jealous, and not afraid to admit it. She had liked Hannibal, and been his best friend, since kindergarten, and now Will Graham had to come along and slowly pull him away. She knew it was silly, they were only twelve and surely no one her age knew what love really was, but she thought that she loved Hannibal. They’d known each other since they were four, surely that was long enough to figure out if someone was meant to be with you.

Finally, Hannibal came back to his desk, sitting down beside her. “Is something wrong, Bedelia?” he asked, tiliting his head.

Bedelia turned to look at him and nodded. “I’m your best friend. I’ve always been your best friend,” she said quietly.

“Will is new, and trying to make friends,” Hannibal replied.

Bedelia sighed. “He is making plenty of friends. He has Alana, Margot, Beverly, Jimmy, Brian, and even Jack likes him. All I have is you.”

“Neal and Franklyn like you,” Hannibal said, frowning.

Rolling her eyes, Bedelia shook her head. “Neal is mean to me when you’re not looking, and Franklyn only likes me because I’m the only girl in this class that will talk to him.”

Hannibal looked down. “I’m sorry Bedelia. Will is nice, and being his friend doesn’t mean I’m not your friend anymore.”

Bedelia shrugged. “He doesn’t want to be friends with me, he wants to pull you away from me. His other friends told him that I’m mean.”

Hannibal reached out and touched Bedelia’s hand. “I’ll never stop being your friend, Bedelia. We promised that we would be friends forever. Remember?”

Bedelia nodded. “But what if I wanted to be more than friends? What if Will also wanted that from you?”

Hannibal furrowed his brow. “I don’t know what you mean Bedelia.”

Bedelia pulled her hand away from his, dropping it in her lap. “Hannibal, you’re smart, but you’re telling me that you can’t figure this out? Put it all together, I like you.”

“I know you like me, we’re friends,” he replied, “people like their friends.”

Bedelia squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. “Hannibal, I like-like you. Like a girl likes her boyfriend.”   

Hannibal’s mouth opened slightly, his mouth almost forming an ‘o’ shape. Bedelia slowly opened her eyes, noticing him staring at her.

“Hannibal?”

“Bedelia, we’re twelve. Are you sure that you like me like that?”

Bedelia nodded slowly. “Unless you don’t want me to.”

Hannibal smiled lightly. “I’m fine with you liking me like that. Do you want to spend recess together? Just the two of us, I mean. Will can spend time with his other friends.”

Bedelia returned his smile. “That sounds perfect.”


	64. Tiny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: “You’re so tiny compared to me.”

Hannibal wrapped his arms around his new wife tightly, only needing one arm to do so. He intertwined their unoccupied hands together and sighed happily. “I never thought this day would come,” he whispered into her ear, pressing a soft kiss to her hair.

Bedelia turned her head slightly. “Hannibal, we’ve been in Paris for two weeks.”

“And I imagined this long before we came to Paris. Sitting across from you in your home during our sessions. Even when we weren’t together, I was imagining coming home to you, loving you, imagining all the things I would be permitted to do if we were wed,” he replied.

Bedelia smiled sadly. She ought to tell him off for his wanting of her when she was his psychiatrist, but she found herself unable. It would sound feeble even trying whilst naked and wrapped in his embrace. Even more feeble if one remembered what they had been doing only moments before.

“Well, I suppose this is only proof that dreams come true,” she eventually whispered.

Hannibal smiled sleepily and looked at her tiny hand wrapped in his own. He felt her small figure against him, wanting to protect her. He had failed in the past, but was there a way to properly ensure that he wouldn’t fail her again in the future? He would start by simply holding her close to him, which judging by how they were now, wouldn’t be difficult.

“You are so tiny compared to me. When we were in sessions together, and the way you hold yourself, I never thought you were this small.”

“I make up for my size with power,” she replied, “just remember, you’re never actually in control in this relationship Hannibal.”

Hannibal smiled. “I wouldn’t dream of being in control, not with someone like you. Your wish is my command, and your command is an honour to receive.”

Bedelia’s smile turned from one of sadness to one of bliss. “Don’t you go forgetting that, darling.”   


	65. Entirely Accidental

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One tells the other “I love you” by accident. Takes place during season 1, and if I had thought of it sooner, it might have been my prompt fill for electric-couple's season 1 prompt.

“I see enough of you to see the truth of you, and I love you,” Bedelia said, fiddling with her watch before standing up to get her and Hannibal each a glass of wine before stopping dead in her tracks. _Love?_ she thought. _Did I just tell Hannibal Lecter that I love him? Maybe he didn’t notice, pretend you said nothing wrong._

“Red or white?” she asked, remaining calm, walking away from him.

“I think something pink, don’t you?” he asked, standing up and following behind her. “It would match the colour in your cheeks since that slip up a moment ago.”

Bedelia swallowed. “Hannibal, I-I didn’t mean it,” she said, trying to convince herself just as much as she was trying to convince him.

Hannibal chuckled. “Oh, Doctor, I’m sure you didn’t.”

Bedelia turned to face him. “Would you like it if I sent you home without a glass of wine?”

Hannibal shook his head. “No. But I don’t think we can go on like this. Unrequited love is not very healthy.”

Bedelia’s eyes dropped to her feet. “Do you want a referral?”

“Referrals can be tricky, you and I both know that.”

Bedelia shook her head. “Hannibal, you are my patient and my colleague... it would be unethical to be your lover.”

“I’m sure some would also consider it unethical to drink wine with your patient, yet this is how we end every session,” he replied. “Besides, you’re not the only one who feels something here.”

Bedelia scoffed. “Hannibal, I have intimate knowledge of a version of you, of course you wish to be friendly with me. You wish to have intimate knowledge of me, it’s a trait of our profession. We simply cannot.”

“If that is what you truly wish, Doctor Du Maurier, then we can drink our wine in silence, and then I will leave. We don’t need to speak of this again.”

“Even if I meant what I said, our relationship would have no balance. I hold the power.”

“I wouldn’t mind you being in control of our relationship.”

“Eventually, you would, Hannibal. It happens in every relationship I’ve had.”

“I am not the men you’ve had in the past, Doctor. Give me a chance.”

Bedelia smiled lightly, pouring their wine into glasses. “Drink your wine. We’ll discuss this another time. I’m not ready for this conversation.”

Hannibal nodded lightly, accepting the glass she offered him. “I hope that one day you will be ready to have this conversation, Doctor.”

 _I hope so as well,_ she thought, taking a sip of her wine. She loved him, and maybe one day, they would be able to make it work.   

 


	66. Technically

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I'm not surprised that you killed him." (Technically)  
> Originally was going to be written about either Neal or Anthony, but then I was like 'technically, Bedelia killed Sogliato' and voila~

Bedelia’s head lay on Hannibal’s chest as they relaxed in the bed that they shared. Hannibal killing someone had always been a turn-on for her. And this night had shown them that the opposite was also true. Though she had only technically killed Professor Sogliato, Hannibal hadn’t been able to contain his want for her since he had finished eating.

“I’m not surprised that you killed him, Bedelia,” he whispered, running his hand over her bare arm.

“I only technically killed him, Hannibal,” she replied, her fingers gently pulling at his chest hair.

“It was beautiful to watch you end his life.”

Bedelia smiled. “I never liked Professor Sogliato. Everytime we met, it seemed as though he was a little bit too interested in me.”

“I noticed,” Hannibal responded, tensing up.

Bedelia shifted to look up into his eyes. “Just because he was interested in me does not mean I was ever interested in him.”

“You danced with him.”

“Out of courtesy, Hannibal. It would have been rude to not dance with other people.”

Hannibal opened his mouth before closing it again. She was right, and he had also danced with other people.

“And no, I did not know he was interested in me until halfway through that dance when he pulled me a little bit closer than I was comfortable with.”

Hannibal let a low growl leave his throat. “If I had seen that, I would have made sure that he paid for it.”

“He has, Hannibal. He’s dead. We killed him.”

Hannibal slipped his hand into her hair, massaging her scalp. “Well technically, you killed him. He was fine until you pulled the ice pick from his head.”

“He wass even more fine before you put it in his head.”

Hannibal smiled and pulled Bedelia in for a gentle kiss.

In the end, it didn’t really matter which of them did it. What mattered was that it was done, and the two of them were happy.


	67. Stop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: "Stop thinking about him."

Bedelia climbed on top of Hannibal, and frowned. He was clearly somewhere else, mentally. She knew where, and it made her stomach churn. “Hannibal, can you please focus on me? Just for a little while?”

Hannibal smiled at her. “I’m sorry, Bedelia.”

“No, you’re really not. You do this to me all the time. I know exactly who is on your mind, and feeling second best to someone who isn’t here hurts me, Hannibal,” she replied.

Hannibal sighed. “Bedelia, it’s not as simple as that. Of course you matter to me, but it’s difficult to pretend that someone who matters doesn’t.”

“I don’t understand why Will Graham still matters to you. He betrayed you,” she replied, “I understand why you would still matter to him, but not why he would still matter to you.”

“It’s more complicated than you know, Bedelia,” he replied, stroking her hair.

Bedelia pulled away from her husband, shaking her head. “No, it isn’t. You would rather have Will Graham here with you. Even after he betrayed you and nearly got you captured. Why does he enjoy a privilege I never will?”

Hannibal shook his head. “No. I only keep him on my mind because I made a mistake. He still matters because he’s a loose end. I would never prefer his company to yours, I just know that you and I will never truly be safe until Will Graham is gone from this world. Once, I may have enjoyed having him here, but he made his choice and must live with that. As must I. There is nothing I can do to change what he did. And no matter what he does, there will never again be a day where I trust him. No matter what he may think.

“Since I put that ring on your finger Bedelia, everything I do is for you. And no one else. You are my everything.”

Bedelia smiled lightly and rested her head back on his chest. “You’re a hopeless romantic at times, Hannibal.”

“Only for you, Doctor,” he whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to her hair. She was right, she had always been right. Will Graham was not a healthy choice for him. And if the dark haired man ever tried to lure him in again, he would be ready to strike. He had Bedelia, why would he need anyone else?


	68. Half Truths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: “I don’t have the luxury of telling the truth, but I can make a promise.”

Bedelia looked at her patient, barely listening to him at this point. Nothing could compare to the pain that struck her heart when she knew that he was lying to her. It was happening more and more often now, and it wasn’t helping her in the slightest. She trusted in him, but apparently, he couldn’t return the courtesy.

“Hannibal, stop talking,” said, holding up a hand. “I know you well enough, I’ve known you long enough to know when you’re not telling me the truth. I find it extremely insulting that you ask me to trust you, and would betray that because you feel that you can’t trust me.”

Hannibal looked at her sadly. “Doctor, by withholding information from you, I’m protecting you and keeping you safe. I promised to protect you, and I intend to keep that promise.”

Bedelia shook her head. “How do I know that you’re telling me the truth, or at the very least, a half-truth? I’d take a half-truth. Perhaps it would be best if we ended our session here. We could take a break in your therapy until you decide whether or not you want to tell me the truth or not.”

Hannibal stood with her and reached out a hand to stop her from leaving. “Doctor, please. I don’t have the luxury of telling you the truth, but I can make you a promise. A promise that I intend to keep for as long as the two of us are alive.”

Bedelia looked up into his eyes. “Go on then.”

“I promise to protect you from harm in any form, and any information I withhold will be information that goes against my promise to protect you. That is more than a half-truth, it is the truest thing I have said to anyone in a long time.”

Bedelia smiled lightly and sat back down. “Well then, shall we continue?”  

Hannibal nodded and returned to his seat. “I believe we ought to.”

 


	69. Chapter 69 without any 69ing.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: "You haven't even touched your food."   
> I finally hit chapter 69. The title of the chapter is accurate, I am sorry. I don't feel like they would actually do that. They like to focus on each other one at a time. :)

Hannibal looked across the table at his wife and frowned. He knew she hadn’t been eating, and this was the proof he needed. He didn’t want to call her out for it, since things were already fairly tense between them, but he knew he would need to do something before she wasted away in front of him.

“Bedelia darling, you haven’t touched your food, is something wrong?” he asked.

She shook her head quickly and kept her eyes on her plate, her fork still in her hand.

“Why aren’t you eating?”

Bedelia took a deep breath. “I’m not hungry right now.”

Hannibal shook his head. “Please don’t lie to me, I know that you haven’t been eating, and it worries me, Bedelia.”

Bedelia continued looking at the plate. Shrugging lightly, she opened her mouth before closing it again. He wasn’t really all that concerned. If she wasted away, her meat might not be as good as it could be. That was all he cared about, wasn’t it?

Hannibal put his fork down and moved to Bedelia’s side of the table. “I’m not going to force you to eat, but it would be nice if you ate, and let me take care of you.”

Bedelia refused to look at him. “I know what you’re doing. Anthony Dimmond made that much clearer to me. You’re essentially fattening me up for the slaughter, aren’t you?”

Hannibal sighed. “Yes, it is my intention to eat you eventually. I should have been honest with you in the beginning about that fact. I apologize.”

Bedelia shook her head. “You know that I never would have come with you if you told me that, Hannibal. That’s why you didn’t say anything, because you would have had to kill me there and then.”

Hannibal nodded. “And eating you hastily is not something I would ever wish to do. You ought to be savoured, with a flavour that is impecable as yours is.”

“Yet you still wish to improve my flavour.”

“Impecable as it will be. Everyone’s flavour could be improved. Would you not like your food to taste better, if you had the choice to make it so?”

Bedelia continued to refuse to make eye contact with Hannibal. Of course, she was terrified since the conversation had turned to discussing her as a meal. Who wouldn’t be scared? She swallowed and turned to him before pressing her lips to his.

Hannibal was thrown off guard, wondering what she was doing. Pushing the thought from his mind, he took her hand and helped her from her chair, pulling her closer to him. When he tried to lift her onto the table however, she pulled back.

“Please, not here,” she whispered quietly.

Hannibal nodded and led her to the bedroom before pulling her on top of him on the bed. Bedelia smiled and fused her lips to Hannibal’s once again, thanking herself for putting on a loosely fitting dress that morning, since it allowed her to straddle him easily. She nudged against him gently, feeling his semi-hard cock twitch. Bedelia smiled into Hannibal’s lips and continued moving against him, making him harder and harder. Hannibal growled into her mouth before flipping the two of them, pulling her dress up to her waist before pulling his trousers and briefs down, nudging himself against her entrance.

Bedelia nodded eagerly, and Hannibal thrust into her, moaning at the contact.

Bedelia rolled the two of them again and began riding him slowly. Hannibal gripped her hips and helped her move. She tried as hard as she could to show no external signs of how much she was enjoying herself, but it was impossible to do so. She had never experienced such pleasure. Even doing nearly nothing, Hannibal was better than any other lover she’d ever had.

Bedelia moaned lightly. She knew that this would end, and likely violently, but until then, she would make the most of it and enjoy it.

When the two of them reached their climax, it felt as though the world would end, for time paused for so long. Bedelia looked into Hannibal’s eyes and climbed off of him once she felt able to move. She lay sprawled on her back, taking deep breaths.

When Hannibal tried to get up to leave, Bedelia cleared her throat. “Hannibal,” she called out, her voice hoarse.

“Yes, Bedelia?” he asked, turning towards her.

“You haven’t eaten your dessert,” she said, looking at him with a sly grin.

Hannibal smiled his Cheshire grin and moved towards her. “Well, I do belileve I’ve been a good boy. I shouldn’t turn down my dessert, now should I?”

Bedelia shook her head. “You better not.”


	70. The Right Partner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Alana and Frederick are sick during a dance class, Bedelia and Hannibal get paired up with each other. Not technically a drabble.

Bedelia swallowed and looked up at the man who had been assigned as her dance partner. She had taken notice of Hannibal during previous classes, but never thought that the two of them would be dancing together. From what she had seen, he was miles better than her own partner, Frederick. She said a silent thank you to whoever got Frederick and Alana sick the same week to grace her with Hannibal as a partner.

“I’ve noticed that you’re a very good dancer, Bedelia. Such a shame you have such an awful partner,” Hannibal said, smiling lightly.

Bedelia nodded. “Frederick is not the partner I would have chosen for myself, I assure you.”

“I don’t think anyone who can actually dance would choose Frederick. Shall we?” he asked, offering her his hand.

Bedelia took it and allowed Hannibal to take the lead. She had been right. Hannibal was a wonderful dancer, and she was almost in awe. The two of them moved perfectly in sync, as though they had been dancing together their entire lives.

Hannibal gently pulled her closer and whispered in her ear, “Alana is a good partner, but you’re the perfect partner.”

Bedelia flushed lightly and glanced down. Compared to Frederick, Hannibal was better than perfect, but she couldn’t find the ability to say that to him, could she? It would make things awkward between the two of them. If she stopped herself from foolishness, perhaps he would be willing to partner her again at some point in the future, which meant more to her than uttering nonsense at him. He was an intelligent man, and she an intelligent woman; they were good dancers and astounding partners, but beyond thatm they knew nothing of one another. But she supposed that all strong relationships must build from nothing in order to be successful.

In the beginning, she had been nervous, but dancing with Hannibal was calming and eye opening. Frederick set her teeth on edge with his inability to perform the simplest of waltzes.

 

The two danced together for the entirety of the class, which felt like moments in each others arms, until their instructor told them that they would have to leave in order for the studio to be locked. Hannibal pulled away from her, sadness etched onto his features. Bedelia reached out and caught his hand. “You were amazing,” she whispered with a small smile.

“As were you,” he replied, leading her to the coat rack, removing hers and helping her put it on, moving her hair from under it for her.

Bedelia picked up her bag and turned towards him. “Would it be unconventional for me to ask you to have a drink with me?”

Hannibal nodded, making Bedelia’s heart sink slightly. “Luckily for you, I have a soft spot for the unconventional.”

Bedelia smiled and took his hand again. “I suppose this really is my lucky day then, isn’t it?” she asked.

Hannibal nodded and led her from the studio. “Did you drive tonight?”

Bedelia shook her head. “I carpooled with Freddie, but I guess she didn’t want to disturb us and went home.”

“I would call her out for leaving you behind, since I cannot stand acts of rudeness, but instead, I think I will need to thank her,” he replied, opening his passenger door for her.

Bedelia climbed in and smiled when Hannibal joined her. “Your place for our drink, or mine? I assure you, I’m well stocked.”

Bedelia raised her eyebrow. “As am I, Hannibal. What do you take me for?”

Hannibal shook his head. “I did not mean to imply an insult of anyone’s liquor cabinet.”

“Mine. I wouldn’t want you to have to leave home to drive me back to mine afterwards.”

Hannibal nodded and started his car. “Tell me where to go, and I will.”

Bedelia sat beside him, providing him with directions, otherwise remaining quiet. Silence with Hannibal was not uncomfortable, but felt more like something they could easily settle into.

 

When they arrived, Hannibal once again opened her car door for her, helping her out. Bedelia thanked him and led him to her door. She didn’t often let people into her home, patients being an exception to that rule. But since they only saw one room and the front hall, she felt that they were not truly seeing through her veil and climbing her walls. Tonight, Hannibal would be doing both things, and she found herself unprepared to have someone see her the way he was about to.

Hannibal, sensing her distress, reached out and put his hand on her arm. “I understand that you’re not ready for any of this. You mustn’t worry, this is only a friendly drink and then I will go. I shan’t pry into your life unnecissarily. In fact, if you would rather, I can leave now?”

Bedelia shook her head, whispering, “Don’t go. Please. If you go now, I’ll feel like I’ve ruined everything that we could ever be.”

“We?” he asked, hope flooding his heart. He had been admiring Bedelia’s beauty and intelligence for months at this point, and the very mention of the two of them being something at any point in time was more than he could have wished for.

Bedelia looked at the floor before moving her eyes back to his. “I won’t deny that I find you incredibly attractive, but of course, you would never actually be mine. You’re dating Alana Bloom, who is a very beautiful woman. Only a very foolish man would give her up willingly.”

Hannibal smiled and shook his head. “Alana is very beautiful and intelligent, and any man would be beyond foolish to cast her aside. However, she is not mine. I wouldn’t be here with you if she were. I consider myself loyal to those I am intimate, or hope to be intimate, with. She’s been with Margot Verger for almost a year now, and as someone who, in a way, helped bring them together, I would do nothing to separate them. They’re quite happy together. It is you I’ve had my eye on for quite some time, as I’m sure many men have. I asked Alana to pay him a visit at the hospital and accidentally get him sick in hopes of getting to dance with you. Alana was more than willing to assist me in my endeavours, as I have always tried to assist her in her own. She is a good friend, but that is all she and I could ever be.”

Bedelia smiled lightly. “So, you do like me? In the same way that I like you?”

“I do believe so. If you allowed me to spend the rest of my life with you, I would only curse the time that I’ve wasted until now,” he whispered, moving closer to her.

Bedelia pulled away slowly and opened her door. “Perhaps we should continue this inside, Hannibal.”

He nodded and allowed her to lead him through her home to the kitchen. “Red or white?” she asked, turning to her wine rack.

Hannibal tilted his head slightly. “I think something pink, don’t you?”

Bedelia nodded, pulling a bottle from the rack before opening her cupboard and retrieving two glasses. “Come with me.”

Hannibal followed her willingly up her stairs, reaching out and catching her hand, lacing their fingers together. He was given a pleasant half-surprise when she opened the door to her bedroom and led him inside.

“I don’t suppose you allow very many people into this room?” he asked, sitting down on the chair she kept in the corner.

Bedelia shook her head. “I can’t actually tell you how long it has been since anyone but me has been in here,” she said sadly, opening the wine and pouring two glasses before putting the bottle down and handing him one. She sat down on the edge of her bed and took a long sip of the wine.

Hannibal took a drink and smiled lightly at her. “I am honoured to be permitted entry into a place so personal for you,” he replied, looking around the room, trying to learn more about her. He had not seen very much of her home, but he could tell that it was quite impersonal, and this room was surprisingly no different. She had no framed photographs, meaningful trinkets, or anything that told him about who she was as a person. He had seen a piano on the way in and a medical journal on the island in her kitchen, but beyond that, he still knew nothing about the woman who had swept away his heart.

Bedelia turned her head to look around. “I’m sure your home is more exciting, a better glipse into your mind,” she said.

Hannibal nodded. “At the very least, I hope that my kitchen is. My office remains highly impersonal. My patients are there for themselves, not to learn about me.”

“I know that feeling. What other things allow a person to know something of the real Hannibal in your home? Aside from your kitchen?”

“My library is well stocked with classic literature, medical journals, cookbooks, a wide variety of non-fiction and a small assortment of modern literature that I have a fondness for. My bedroom is a place where not many people are permitted, but I do keep a sketchbook, my theremin, and my favourite books in there. Most of what makes me who I am is inside of my head. In my mind palace. I have memories of my childhood there, and I do think that I could live there, happily.”

Bedelia smiled. “You have a theremin?”

Hannibal smiled lightly. “I do. And a harpsichord.”

“I play the piano. I know they’re different, but I suppose you also know the basics for a piano?” she asked.

Hannibal nodded. “You seem to be learning everything about me, and I’ve learned nothing of you. My curiosity is going to get out of control.”

Bedelia flushed. “I’m a psychiatrist, much like yourself. I was born and raised in Paris until my teenage years when my family moved to America. My literature tastes are much like yours. I don’t think that I’m all that exicting to be honest with you.”

“And the intrigue that surrounds you only makes you all the more exciting to me, Dr Du Maurier,” he replied, leaning towards her. “I won’t push you, but I do ache to touch and feel you. I want to learn everything about you.”

Bedelia looked away from Hannibal and smiled. “Well, I don’t suppose that you would be interested in me once you know everything. I’m not what you think I am.”

“Perhaps not, but I do think that you’re everything I’ve ever wanted.”

“One dance can tell you that?” Bedelia asked, an eyebrow raised.

Hannibal nodded. “Actually, I knew the moment I first saw you. And tonight only confirmed what I always knew.”

“Well, tonight showed me that I don’t want to dance with anyone else, ever again.”

“And you won’t ever have to,” Hannibal replied, moving to sit beside her. He cupped her face in his hands and Bedelia smiled before closing the gap between their mouths, sealing what they hoped would last forever in the best way. With a kiss.


End file.
